Helga's Transference
by Anonymous Latino
Summary: Helga and the rest of the gang are starting their third year of high school without Arnold. But a new kid in the same grade has just arrived and befriends everyone in the group, including Helga. How will their friendship develop? Can he help Helga overcome her stagnant, melancholic life? What new challenges await them? And will it develop into something more?
1. Chapter 1 - A New Kid on the block

**Hi everyone! For those of you who may not know, this story is a prequel to my first story about Helga Pataki, called _Helga's Confession._ It starts off on the first day of their third year of high school, when Helga first meets Rodrigo Castile de la Serna. This entire story is based on their friendship and how it develops, but I will also include our other favourites characters and how this kid relates to them.**

**Each chapter will be like an episode, so this entire series will be, to some extent, in chronological order. I will try my best to upload a new chapter every 1-3 weeks.**

**Please provide any feedback comments or critiques. Thanks**

**Throughout this entire story/series, I do not know any of the Hey Arnold! characters. They are owned by Craig Bartlett and Nickelodeon, except Rodrigo Castile, and it is not based on the Lorenzo character.**

* * *

"Gooodd Morning to all the residents of the city of Hillwood! I am your morning host Kent Patterson for this morning at CTV radio channel. It is a beautiful day on this September 7, the temperature is going to be 90F (32C), a spectacular time for a day at the beach. And for all you kids out there, it is the first day of school which means, well hahaha it sucks to be you right..." *clank*

Helga Pataki, despite being half conscious, gathered enough strength to find one her shoes and tossed it at her radio clock, hitting it right out of her nightstand and onto the floor. It was probably broken, but she didn't care. The radio clock woke her up from a good sleep that she was having. It was not a common occurrence unfortunately, but whenever it came, she would take full advantage of it.

As she was just drifting off to sleep again, the voice of her oldest sister Olga calling her woke her up again, "oohh baby sister, wake up sleepy head, it's time for your first day of school! Aren't you excited? Get ready, I am making breakfast."

"uugghhhh.." Helga groaned. "I'm coming Olga! ugh crimeny."

It has been a little more than two years since Arnold Shortman left Hillwood with his parents. She and the rest of the gang are now entering their 3rd year of high school. By a stroke of luck, all of them managed to enroll in Hillwood High. Whether or not this was a good thing or not, she was still trying to figure that out.

Helga struggled to get out of and find some new clothes to put on. She found a white shirt with a pink strip around it lying on her floor and smelled it. *sniff. "Eh, good enough." she said to herself and put it on.

A lot had changed since they were kids. Helga got rid of her pink and white dress and settled for blue jeans that were often accompanied by shirts or sweaters of various colours, depending on her mood. Her shoes were usually either white or black. She now wore a big blue cap on her head, big enough to cover the pink bow that she refuses to part with: a reminder of her beloved football head. She would often retain her two pigtails, but she would sometimes make it into one. Her also retained her famous unibrow.

As a young teenager, Helga began developing a smooth but somewhat curvy body that unfortunately began catching unwanted attention. She was thin, but not enough to be anorexic. Her chest began to grow, but they remained average small.

After putting on her jeans and shoes, she quickly combed her hair and went downstairs to eat.

Olga Pataki has returned home six months prior, focusing on her new career on becoming an actress. Helga remembers that day well. The day she returned home, it was unexpected. Naturally Big Bob and Miriam were glad to see her, much to the annoyance of Helga, who now felt she will be even more ignored than ever. However, the festivities were cut short when Olga announced that she will be focusing on becoming an actress. Big Bob did not take this news well and pretty soon, Olga fell out of favour with both parents.

Initially Helga enjoyed, almost sadistically, the falling out her sister had with their parents over her career choice. However, it became serious when arguments ensued between them. It was annoying at first, the constant bickering and yelling about the same old topic again. However, two months since Olga's return, during one of their usual squabbles, Big Bob lost his cool and threatened to kick Olga out of his house. Olga was devastated that her own father would do this, but she still refused to bow down to his demands in choosing another career. Whether by being impressed by Olga's defiance, or being sympathetic to her situation, Helga intervened, and in front of Big Bob, lectured him on how this was Olga's decision and not his and if he was serious on actually kicking Olga out of the house, then she was going to be leave too. Seeing this, and seeing how this was upsetting Miriam, Big Bob relented and allowed Olga to stay and to focus on her career.

Although Olga was very grateful for her little sister backing her, this did not fundamentally changed their relationship, but it gave Helga a newfound respect for Olga and seeing as how she was going to live with them for while, it was probably best if they got along well.

As Helga climbed down the stairs, she could smell the food that Olga was making and her mouth began to water. For Helga, this was one of the few benefits in having Olga live with them again. She was not only a great cook, but she also made healthy, yet delicious meals. No longer would Helga struggle to find food for school or dinner when she got home. No more greasy pizzas or Chinese food leftovers, at least not usually.

"Morning Bob." Helga said.

"Morning Olga." grumbled Big Bob.

"It's Helga d...ugh never mind." Helga said as she walked into the kitchen, annoyed that her own dad had still not bothered to learn her name.

Helga's mother, Miriam had already left for her AA meeting. Ever since Olga arrived back, Miriam was finally able to admit to herself and her family about her alcohol addiction and just two months prior, started going to AA meetings.

"Good morning sleepy head. My you look swell today for your first day of school." Olga complimented.

"Gee Olga, thanks." Helga said sarcastically. Swell or beautiful would not be the right use of words to describe Helga at that moment. She looked more like a train had hit her and lived to tell about it.

Regardless, Helga eat her entire breakfast and went back upstairs to gather her school notebooks, pens and pencils. She quickly brushed her teeth and went back downstairs to go out.

"Will you be needing a ride for your first day of school, baby sister?" Olga asked.

"No thanks Olga. I'll just take the bus today, it is a nice day out and I am in no hurry." Helga responded. She went outside and started walking to the bus stop where she had previously arranged to meet up with her best friend Phoebe Heyerdahl.

**Meanwhile, a few streets down south from the neighbourhood...**

Rodrigo Castile de la Serna was still sleeping soundly on his bed when his mother knocked on his bedroom door and called to him,

"Mi hijo levantate ya. Es la hora para ir a la escuala. No quieres llegar tarde en tu primero dia." (Son, wake up already. It's time to go to school. You do not want to be late on your first day)

"Ok mama, ya estoy despierto" (Ok mom, I'm awake). Rodrigo called out.

Rodrigo was still reeling from last night. He came home very late from a party he had attended with some friends he just met when he settled in Hillwood just two months prior. He was tired, very tired, but it was well worth it.

"Ugh..hijo de…" (Ugh…son of a…), Rodrigo groaned as he struggled to get up.

It took him a few minutes to finally have the strength to get up, take a quick shower and dress up, before doing downstairs to eat breakfast.

"Buenas dias mi amor." (Good morning my love) his mom said to him, as she kissed him on the the cheek.

"Buenas dias mama, hola papa" (Good morning mom, hi dad). Rodrigo responded back.

"Hola mi hijo. Rodrigo, no te olvides que hoy me tienes que ayudar limpiar el garaje. Entones, apenas termina tus clases, necesito que regreses rapido a la casa." (Hi son. Rodrigo, don't forget that you will need to help me clean the garage today. So, as soon as your classes end, come straight home.) His father said to him.

"Chev, papa" (Ok/Cool, Dad) Rodrigo confirmed.

Rodrigo came from a middle-class family. Both of his parents are university educated, having gone to a post-secondary institution both back home and in the United States when they immigrated. His father particularly had been a huge influence on him. Introducing him to the classics of philosophy, the arts, history and the social sciences at an early age, Rodrigo became known as a highly intellectual teenager, ferociously reading any book that he could get his hands on. As a result, his maturity was well beyond his years and like his father, was known for having debates with adults about many of the political and sociological issues of his time. Although not classified as a gifted student, he did really well at school and was generally well liked by both his peers and teachers. Unlike some of his peers, he was not a troublemaker and the few times when he was, it was for good reasons, whether it was to help someone, or to help raise awareness about a particular issue. Certainly this helped him escape from being disciplined at times. He spoke three languages, Spanish and English because of the countries where he resided, and French because he simply wanted to learn it.

As for his personality, he was known to have a dualistic and active nature, depending on the situation. He can either be very sympathetic or diplomatic in one situation, or assertive or direct in another. His patience can also vary, depending on the person and his/her circumstances. Like Arnold, his greatest strength was his observant nature. As he was somewhat introverted, he was a good listener and very observant of people, allowing him to gain access to more information about them, without them directly divulging it.

His clothes varied but they usually consisted of blue jeans, with sometimes ripped knees, a shirt that often had coloured patterns or a one simple colour. He famous trademark was his black fedora hat that he would always wear.

After he ate his breakfast, he kissed both parents on the cheek, as is the custom back home, and went out on his first day to Hillwood High School. Being new to the city, he had not had much time to properly get to know his new neighbourhood, much less the city. He was just thankful that he made a few friends during the summer. He started towards the bus stop, eagerly awaiting to see what new challenges and people he will meet in this city…

**Back at the bus stop close to Helga's house…..**

As Helga was walking towards the bus stop, she thought about her life during the last two years. They were not pleasant memories…

Arnold had left Hillwood right after they finished 8th grade, during that final summer. Although he informed everyone, including Helga, months prior about his departure, right after he left, Helga was still devastated. During that summer, she completely isolated herself from everyone, even her family. She would only come out of her room when necessary or if her family called her for something. Only Phoebe would remain in contact with her during that time, helping her cope with the loss and her depression. Rhonda, Gerald and everyone else would sometimes call her to see how she was doing, but she would never answer her phone and never called them back. Their only means of communication was through Phoebe, but even she would only provide vague or general information about Helga. Eventually, the calls stopped coming.

When it was time for them to attend high school, Helga was still a wreck, having always thought that she would attend high school with Arnold and perhaps even attend prom together as a couple. However now, she had to deal with the cold, hard truth that that was not to be. The first year of high school was horrible for her. Phoebe had tried her absolute best to help Helga, but by the start of the school year, it had taken a toll on her. When Helga realized this, she made a huge effort to start taking care of herself again by eating more, coming out of her room and even her house more frequently, slowly acknowledging the reality that Arnold was gone now. During their first school year, Helga slowly came out of her depression and required less and less of Phoebe's help. She slowly started hanging out with her friends again, but it was a very slow and gradual process. Often they would not see her for an entire week.

By the end of their first year of high school, Helga started to include herself more into their friends outings. She even started picking up her phone again whenever they would call her. By the start of their second year, she had already come out of her depression, but had lost her creativity and any meaning in her life. Having lost her prime motivation to write, she abandoned her writing of poetry and short stories, having no motivation or even the slightest idea on what to write about. Hoping to counter this, she began to enroll in extracurricular activities after school, hoping to see if this would inspire her. It did not, and she would eventually drop out from them. Frustrated, she just concentrated on her school marks and as a result, obtained good marks during her second year.

Although no longer depressed, she remained aloof about her life. It was one of deep melancholia that often morphed into nihilism. It was not that she did not believe that life was meaningless. She did want to believe in things. She just had nothing worth to strive for. She had no motivation for getting out of bed other than the fact that she had no choice in the matter. She needed to attend school, if not because for her own future, then at the very least it was better than just moping around in her room. She hoped that this year it would be different.

As she approached closer to the bus stop, she was quickly brought out from her thought when she heard Phoebe call to her.

"Good morning Helga, how are doing today?" Phoebe asked her.

"Hey Pheebs, I'm doing ok, how about you?" Helga asked back.

"I'm doing great, thank you. I must admit I am a little excited about this year. We are entering our third year of high school and I am interested to see the new courses we will be attending."

"I suppose." Helga replied back. She was not surprised by Phoebe's excitement. She had asked her yesterday if they can go to school a little early to see where their home class is and what new extracurricular activities there are for this year.

The bus soon approached and they both got on. After a few stops, Rodrigo also hopped on the same bus, but both parties failed to detect each other. Helga and Phoebe both sat at the very back, while Rodrigo sat at the front.

When the bus arrived, all the students got off and made their way into the school. Hillwood High was huge for a high school. It had three floors and it expanded almost an entire block. It contained hundreds of students. It was one of the oldest high schools in the city. Although not a prestigious high school, it did contain good programs that many universities looked for, which was one of the main reasons why everyone in Helga's and Arnold's friends wanted to attend there.

Undeterred, Rodrigo stepped into his new school in order to find the office where he was supposed to pick up his agenda and other school information. However, he quickly got lost and started walking around the school hallway, confused.

Meanwhile, both Helga and Phoebe made their way to the main school gym, where current students were suppose to pick up their school materials and agenda. After doing this, they made their way towards their locker on the second floor, where Gerald was awaiting them. As they approached them, Phoebe ran up to him and said,

"Hi Gerald, how are you?" as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Hiya Pheebs, how ya doing?" Gerald asked her, while intentionally ignoring Helga.

It was no secret to anyone that Helga was not Gerald's favorite person, not even making it on the bottom list. Despite trying to improve on their relationships over the years, especially after their time in San Lorenzo, they were never able to completely seal this animosity they had towards each other. Things took a serious low last year, during which both got into an argument over why Helga has not been writing back to Arnold, despite the many pleas from him. Since then, they barely spoke to each other.

Phoebe noticed this and quickly gave him a nudge on his side.

Not wanting to get into any arguments on the first day, he sighed and asked Helga, "Hi Helga, how are you doing?"

Helga had no intention in responding back, but also not wanting to pick a fight so soon into the year, and out of respect for Phoebe, said "Doing just great tall-hair boy, hope you are too."

Not wanting to get caught in the middle, Helga offered Phoebe the chance to go with Gerald and find their home class, while she looked at some of the extracurricular activities. Despite Phoebe's protest, Helga insisted on it and started to walk away from them, but not before saying to them, "see you guys later."

"Come on Pheebs, let's go find our home class. If we find it quickly, you can still go with Helga before class starts." Gerald offered.

Phoebe relented and away they went.

Meanwhile, Rodrigo was still lost and was now getting frustrated. Class was going to start soon and he was nowhere near in finding the Principal's office.

"Oh my god, where is this office? Why did this school have to be so big?" he asked himself.

He had picked up list of extracurricular activities from the ground and started scanning them, but not before seeing that he reached the very end of the school and the hallway was now turning towards the other side of the school, where he was going to go back. As he was scanning the list, he lost his focus on where he was going.

Meanwhile on the other side of the very same hallway, Helga was scanning her classes and was getting annoyed about some of them.

_Ugh. I have to still take history class? This is useless. Who the hell is going to take their time memorizing events and years that happened long ago from a bunch of losers that are now all dead?_ She thought to herself. As she was flustering away at her thoughts, she lost focus on where she was doing.

As both teenagers were about to turn, they failed to notice each other before *Wham!* they slammed into each other, hitting both their heads, but because Rodrigo had started to walk faster, his momentum hit Helga hard enough that she also fell to the floor, hitting her butt and tail bone.

After a few seconds of enduring their head pains, Rodrigo, to his horror realized that had happened and exclaimed, "Oh my god, Miss I am so so sorry are you..."

"Ow crimeny, are you blind?! Why don't you watch where you are going, bucko?!" Helga interjected and cried back.

"I'm sorry, I did not see you there, are you ok?" Rodrigo asked as he also started to pick up Helga's books that fell on the floor with her. He also offered his hand to help Helga up, but she slapped it away and picked herself up.

"Ya, I'm doing just great bucko thanks for the fall. Sheesh where's the fire?" She asked him.

"I was trying to find the Principal's Office, but I got lost and…" Rodrigo attempted to explain before Helga cut him off again.

"The Principal's Office? Well, you were going the wrong guy doofus. The Office is back that way, down that hall, a few doors to your left. Don't miss it….again." Helga instructed him.

_Whoa, I as nowhere near it_. He thought to himself, then said, "Oh wow, I was really lost then. Thanks a lot Miss…" Rodrigo said before Helga again cut him off.

"Miss? What am I, old? The name's Helga" she barked back.

By now Rodrigo was getting a little annoyed that she was constantly kept interrupting him, but remained calm and said, "What? Old? I said Miss not..ugh never mind. Thanks anyway, Helga."

"Ya ya whatever, just be sure you ask the Principle to get your eyes checked." Helga continued to bark back at him, as she started to walk past him.

"I said I was sorry, ok? It was an accident; I did not mean to bump into you like that." He replied back with a more serious tone.

"Whatever Latino boy, now move it." She said to him.

_Latino boy?! That's it!_ Rodrigo thought as he finally lost his patience. "Sure, I'll have my eyes fixed, but while I am here, I might also as well fix that attitude of yours." He said to her.

Helga immediately stopped, then turned around to look at him, and calmly asked him, "What did you just say?"

Undeterred, Rodrigo said, "You heard me."

_He must be new to this school_. She thought.

Then suddenly, Helga fully turned around to face him, but instead of having him a scowling face, she relaxed her body, began to smile, almost flirteously, and with a calm and sweet voice said to him, "You are right, I am sorry for my angry antics."

She began to walk towards him, walking in a way that showed what little curves she had that demonstrated a flirty walk. This was her famous Venus man-trap technique. When she first entered high school, due to puberty spreading throughout the school, like most girls, she suddenly became the centre of attention from some of the male students. She began to hear that some of these male students began to gossip about her looks, while some began to approach her, giving her sexual or aesthetic compliments. She initially verbally rebuffed such advances and while some took a hint, others were more assertive. Those that continued with their advances, she began to threaten them. Again, some took the hint, while others did not. Finally, out of frustration, she played into their fantasy. She would act all flirty with them, letting their guard down and when they approached her closely, she would began to smile at them with a devilish look and then immediately give them a good punch to the stomach, or to the groin depending on how much they irritated her. This worked well like a charm, especially among the new students, but she tried to not use too often, as it historically caused her to be in trouble for getting into 'fights'. Eventually, no male students ever approached her again and those that did would do so at their own risk to their manly hood.

For Helga, no definitely meant no!

Rodrigo saw this whole new change in Helga with wide eyes and amusement, but not because he was drawn to her. Rather, because she would actually think that he would fall for her charade.

_Who does she think she is? Does she actually think this would work on me? I am actually a little insulted by this_. He thought to himself.

Not wanting to create further animosity with each other, he simply smiled back at her and said, "Nice try Helga, but that would not work on me. Despite only knowing you for two minutes, you do not seem to be the flirty type of girl. I can see right through it."

He quickly gather his things and began to walk towards the office, passing Helga, but giving enough space between them to ensure she would not do anything physical against him.

"It was nice knowing you Helga. See ya" Rodrigo said to her as he started walking, leaving her alone in the hallway.

Taken aback by this, Helga looked on with amusement and thought to herself, _hmmm first time it did not work. Impressive._ She continued to smile a bit, before eventually going to find her home class and taking care of her bum that was still aching from the fall.

When lunch time came, Helga found Phoebe and Gerald sitting together and walked towards them, still feeling the pain on her butt.

Phoebe noticed her limping a bit and asked her, "Hey Helga, are you ok? You are kind of limping."

"Hey Pheebs. Some doofus bumped into me and I fell on the floor, hitting my butt. It is kind of sore at the moment" Helga explained.

"Oh no. You didn't hurt him did you?" Phoebe asked.

Helga simply smiled and said, "I tried to, but he didn't take the bait."

_Well that's a first. Lucky kid_. Gerald thought while rolling his eyes.

After having a quick lunch, they got up and started walking around. Because of Helga's encounter with Rodrigo, she did not get the chance to hang out with Phoebe before class started, and so Gerald decided to leave the two alone and gang out with the rest of their friends, while Helga and Phoebe discussed about what extracurricular activities they were going to take. After only a few minutes, they were distracted by music noise coming from down the hall as a group of students started clambering together.

Being curious, both girls walked towards the crowd to find out the all the fuss was about. They pushed through the crowd until they were in front, only to discover, much to Helga's chagrin, Rodrigo at the centre dancing away.

Helga's taste in music had changed. While she was mostly into heavy metal and Rock bands, she would occasionally listen to classical music. Years back, at her parents' insistence, she took ballet classes for a number of years, but then later dropped out because she realized she was only enrolled into it because Olga was also a ballet dancer during her early years. Despite dropping out though, she would occasionally not only listen to the music, but even perform some ballet moves in her room or somewhere outsides where no one saw her, depending on her mood.

She recently became interested in Latin music, particularly salsa, merengue, cumbia, including reggaeton, when she accidently came across a YouTube video on the internet of people dancing to this genre. She realized instantly that the genre allowed her to channel a lot of her emotions and anger that she had into performing a particular dancing move and so, she would occasionally practice it in her room, depending on her mood. Even her therapist, Dr. Bliss, whom she was still visiting on a weekly basis, recommended it, especially since she stopped writing, this was a possible good substitute. Although not a professional, she developed her own rhythm to the music. Yet without a dancing partner, she only performed solo moves. However, despite the interest, she despised the lyrics of the genre, especially in reggaeton, as they were mostly about sex, having extra-marital affairs, or partying. Rarely did they contain anything decent or meaningful that she liked and whenever they did, she did not like the beat of that music, as she felt it was missing that beating drum in your heart.

She watched, with a bit of awe and studious nature, as Rodrigo danced away to the beats. A girl would sometimes come forward and start dancing with him, which he usually accepted. But when she would start grinding him, he would do so for a short while before both changing positions and dancing properly, or escorting her out of the dancing area. As he danced, Rodrigo did not seem to notice Helga, despite being a few feet away from her.

After some minutes, Helga informed Phoebe for them to go somewhere else, which she agreed. Just as they were about to pick up their stuff, a commotion started behind them and the student that was behind Helga accidently bumped into her, pushing her forward and right into the dancing area. Rodrigo was on the other side and performing a move that spinned him around and when he did, he instantly stopped when he saw, to his shock, Helga standing right in front of him, almost bumping into her for the second time in one day.

The crowd was initially confused and went quiet, as they did not know if this was an accident or part of the performance. What seemed like minutes, it was only seconds as the two kids simply stood on the dancing floor, not moving and looking at each other and those around them. Rodrigo then realized that Helga was not at all comfortable in all of a sudden being the centre of attention and saw that she was growing increasingly nervous.

Then suddenly, one of the Latino students began to call out in Spanish, "Baila! Baila! Baila!" (Dance! Dance! Dance!). Soon the entire crowd began chanting as well.

This did not help Helga's situation, as she was now petrified, looking at everyone with fear. Rodrigo grew concerned and thought about just taking Helga and escorting her out of the dancing floor. However, he was not sure that if he did this, he would be doing Helga a favour or would be further humiliating her. He did not want to do that. So, he did what he would normally do, almost instinctively, if he was nervous; he would dance with her.

He looked at her, waited until she looked at him, then smiled and offered his hand to her.

Helga was now even more shocked. She did not expect him to offer to dance with her, especially not after their first encounter. What's more, how would he know if she even knew how to dance? He did not; he was just going out of instinct. What was he pulling?

Seeing as how she was not accepting his hand, he then decided to challenge her, with the hope that this would make her decide. He went closer to her, and then slowly asked her, "Scared Helga?" while still smiling at her.

That did it. Not only did he bump into her, hurting her butt, but now he was challenging her in front of everyone? _Who the heck does this guy think he is?!_ She thought. She got out of her fear, scowled at him and accepted his hand.

Their dancing started out clumsy, at best. As they were not aware of each other's rhythm, they were both struggling to dance in coordination with each other to the beat. What's more, Helga was not allowing Rodrigo to lead her. Always being an independent person, the biggest reason why she did not take any proper dancing lessons was precisely for this very problem; she did not trust anyone, let alone a guy, to allow him to lead her. If anything, she was the leader, not the other way around. That, and she did not want anyone else to know about what her interests. It was miracle that they did not yet stepped into each other's shoes.

Rodrigo was startled by this, especially which, despite Helga being thin was very strong. She countered his every attempt to lead her. The crowd was also not very impressed with this. Seeing this, and not wanting to make a fool of himself, he stepped in closer to Helga and whispered into her ear, "Unless you want to make a fool of yourself, you need to let me lead you and you need to follow." Then he quickly added, "Let me propose the step, then you can accept to follow. It is still your choice. Don't think, just feel it."

Realizing that he was right, and not wanting to humiliate herself, she closed her eyes, listened to the beat, which was ending, but then quickly heard a new song coming up, one with a strong emphasis on salsa/cumbia. She relaxed her body, an indication that she was ready to be led. Taking this as his cue, just as the new song started, Rodrigo began to slowly dance with her, while Helga followed.

The song that they were dancing to was a remix of "A Que No Te Atreves" by Tito El Bambino Ft Chencho (Juan Alcaraz Mambo Remix). _(Author's Note: You can go on YouTube to listen to the song. I recommend you listen to it while you are reading the rest.)_

Helga, closed her eyes, feeling the music coming up, as its beats started to raise and twirl her arms in typical ballet movements around Rodrigo's head

Tito "El Bambino"!  
(na na na na na, na na na na)  
El Patrrrrron!  
Chencho!  
Sin Miedo, (Come On!)

Then, as the lyrics started to come up…

_A que no te atreves, a bailar conmigo, y a decirle a él que somos mas que amigos...  
tu y yo..._

She grabbed Rodrigo's hand with one hand and wrapped her other hand around his waist, and started to dance with him, moving both of their hips simultaneously together in perfect sequence…

_A que no te atreves, irtele de frente  
y decirle a él que tu me perteneces...  
que tu eres mia..._

_Tu y yo, bailando hacemos el amor con ropa...  
tu y yo... (x2)_

_De lejos se nota la quimica  
las ganas son veridicas  
aquel mundo se entere que tu eres unica  
atraccion fisica, triplicar la ritmica  
a tu sentido provoca atender mi necesidad_

Just then, she twisted her entire body to one side, slowly sliding down, but with Rodrigo firmly holding on to her, then twisting to the other side and continuously doing it with each beat.

_Y cuando nos vamos aparte...  
le digo cositas que enamoren...  
y si es posible regalo flores...  
eso le gusta y acompañarla  
con botellas de Rose Rose.  
_

Then again she let Rodrigo go, twirled around fast with her arms floating upward, then suddenly dropped close to him, allowing him to grab her, only for her to twist her body from side to side, while also slwoly sliding down, then up, twist, slide down again…

_Y cuando nos vamos aparte...  
le digo cositas que enamoren...  
y si es posible regalo flores...  
eso le gusta y acompañarla  
con botellas de Rose Rose  
_

Then both started dancing again, moving their hips side to side, while slowly turning around in circles…..

_Tu y yo, bailando hacemos el amor con ropa...  
tu y yo... (x2)_

_Me gusta tenerla cerca de mi  
y en la lenta acariciarla, descontrolarla  
por la cintura agarrarla y torturarla  
en un rincon hacerla duro, castigarla_

_Es como un duelo  
pa' provocarme pone sus manos en el suelo  
y ahi es cuando mas le pego y la anhelo  
y la deceo, cuando la nena acelera no tiene freno  
(no, no, no)  
_

By this point, Helga has gained enough confidence in herself to start taunting him a bit. In accordance with the beat, she then let go of him, took a step back, then pulled him towards him. Realizing what she was trying to do, Rodrigo, after she pulled him, took a step back as well, grabbed her by the shoulders, then pulled her towards, creating an arstitic image of them struggling over dominance over the other.

_Lo mio y lo de ella  
es mas placer que amor, dificil es olvidarse  
de su cuerpo y la manera de menearse  
y de entregarse, se lo disfruta  
y no quiere despegarse cuando  
_

Just as the music started, both stopped their pulling, came close together, with their torso slightly touching each other, then again started to dance in perfect sequence with each other and with the music.

_Tu y yo, bailando hacemos el amor con ropa...  
tu y yo..._

_Tu y yo, bailando hacemos el amor con ropa...  
tu y yo... (x2)  
_

Then Rodrigo, started to spin Helga around, slowly at first, then faster and faster until…

_Chencho Corleone  
Con Tito "El Bambino"  
(El Patrrron!)  
_

Rodrigo then stopped spinning her and just on cue, he bent her backwards, which she slid down just a bit for her back to bend, as the finishing touch to their dance.

When song ended, the crowd roared and cheered. No one had ever seen Helga in this way...at all! Phoebe stayed silent, completely surprised and stunned at the way Helga moved. She was not at all aware that she was a dancer.

Both Rodrigo and Helga stayed in their finishing position for a few seconds, then looked at each other as they were slightly gasping for air. Both were surprised as just how well they coordinated their dancing with each other. Helga was especially thrilled at the entire thing. While dancing, she could feel the adrenaline pumping throughout her body, as the music guided her entire body to move to its beat, all while following Rodrigo's lead. For the first time in such a long time, Helga felt lost, but not forgotten, she felt in control, but not overwhelming, gracious, but not too amiable. She felt...something that she had not felt in such a long time. It was not simply the thrill of it, but rather that, she felt...alive; that she had lived. Now with the song over, she was stunned, not knowing what else to do.

Rodrigo as well, was speechless. As he looked into her eyes, he noticed her smiling. For the first time since they met, her smile was of genuine thrill and happiness. He started to pull her back up and just as he did, allowing her to regain her composure, her smile quickly became an evil smirk. He noticed this, but it was too late for him to react, as he had just fallen into her trap.

_Ah crap_..he thought.

Before he knew it, he felt a punch right into his stomach. It was a hard enough punch for him to groan and bent a bit, but enough for him to not become quickly subdued by the pain. Helga, content on claiming her latest victim, smiled, then turned around to pick up her bag, much to the confusion of the crowd.

_That'll teach him for putting me on the spotlight like that._ She thought. However, just as she was about to leave, she overheard Rodrigo call out to her,

"Hey Helga, nice dancing with you!" he said to her as he was smiling, despite the pain.

Helga, stopped walking for a second, not expecting him to say that, but then quickly continued on, with Phoebe following her. Helga then began explain to Phoebe what had just happened.

Rodrigo walked the other way, limping until he finally sat down next to the radio and turned off the music, allowing the crowd to finally disperse. He began talking to his Latino friends whom he just met about what just transpired.

Pretty soon, lunch was over and everyone began scrambling towards their next class. Helga arrived at her history class, walked into the room and sat down almost at the far end of the room, took out her notepad and pink pen and began writing...

Rodrigo arrived just in time to his history class. He scanned the room to see where he can sit. To his dismay, he realized that the only sit available was the one next to Helga. Regardless, he walked towards the empty chair, trying to decide if he should say something to her. In the end, he decided not to, walked past her and past down beside her.

Helga looked up as he was passing through and to _HER_ dismay, realized that they are in the exact same class.

_You have got to be kidding me?! What do I have to do to get rid of him?_ she thought as she frowned.

They did not say anything to each other before and during class. As it progressed, Rodrigo noticed that Helga was busy writing, and he did not think that she was taking notes. As he looked through the corner of his eye, he noticed that Helga was smiling as she was writing, but it was not a happy smile; it looked...sad, as if she was longing for something or someone. Rather curious, he slowly adjusted himself to take a better look. He was not able to fully see what she writing; he only managed to get a word or two at the top of the letter that said something like, _Dear Football Head_.

_Is she writing about a person or an object? Why would she call someone football head? That sounds kind of mean._ He thought.

Not wanting to cause any more trouble with her today, he gave up and readjusted himself and started to pay attention again to the teacher.

Just then the teacher called up to him and said, "Ah Mr. Castile, even though you are new to this school and class, perhaps you can explain to us why we should learn history? Apparently this is not a popular subject among many of your peers."

_No argument there teach._ Helga thought to herself, while she continued on writing.

Rodrigo thought about it for a moment, then said, "Well sir, for those that believe that learning history is a waste of time, I think that it is not that they do not like history in general. They just do not like their own history, they do not like what they have experienced in their lives and they have no desire to go back to relive it. And if they do not learn about their own history, then I do not think they have a future. They only live in the present, with nothing to go back to and nothing forward to look up to. And if they have no motivation to learn about their own history, then there is no hope for them to learn about other people's history."

The class was silent for a moment as they absorbed what Rodrigo had just said. Although Helga was trying not catch his attention, she was looking straight at him the entire time he was talking. As far as she was concerned, he had just read her like a book. However, after a short while, the teacher began to give his lecture again and Helga went back to her writing.

After their last class ended, all the students went to their lockers and began to proceed with either going home or enrolling in any after school activities. As Rodrigo stepped out of the school, he noticed Helga again walking towards the bus line with her friend. He was too far away for her to notice him. He again thought about saying hi to her. Why? He had no idea. But then he simply said to himself,

"Eh, enough for one day." Then he proceeded to walk home in order to help his father.

After Helga arrived home, she quickly ate something, then went up to her room to finish her letter for Arnold.

_...and so my beloved football head, that was the first day at the slaughterhouse that they dare call secondary education intuition. I did not get a chance to meet up with the rest of the crew because...I simply did not want to. But I am sure that you will get a letter from them about how their first day went. Hope you are not struggling too much with the new move._

_Oh, on a side note, there is a new kid that just started with us. He is in the same grade as us. Not sure what to make of him really. He is...different. He is ok...for now._

_Yours truly,_

_Helga G. Pataki_

Knowing full well that she will not send this letter, she gently put the letter in her binder, closed it, then went to her desk to finish her homework.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Initiation

**Hi everyone! So I was able to finish this chapter a lot faster than I anticipated, so I hope you enjoy it! In this chapter, I will be introducing the rest of Helga's friends, as well as how Rodrigo's introduction to them. Let's see how this plays out.**

* * *

"Gooodd Morning to all the residents of the city of Hillwood! I am your morning host Kent Patterson for this morning at CTV radio channel. It is September 8th, and t is another beautiful day. The temperature will remain a strong 90F (32C), Another perfect day at the beach, where I will be passing by and interviewing anyone there about their day. And for all you kids out there who will be going to their second day of school this year, well hahaha this is just not your year..."*clank*

"Oh my god, shut up!" exclaimed Helga, as she struggled to get out of bed this morning. This is the second day in a row that she was able to sleep on time and soundly. A very rare occurrence.

_I really need to change that radio channel_. She thought to herself.

After doing her usual morning routine and eating some breakfast, she quickly went back upstairs, gathered her belongings and was about to go for the door, when her sister asked her, "You are up early this morning baby sister. Is everything ok?"

"Just peachy Olga. It is a nice day out so I just wanted to walk to school this morning. See ya." Helga said.

As she walked to school, her thoughts concentrated on yesterday's events. She had experienced such a thrill when she danced with Rodrigo that she is now...not desperate, but yearning to experience it again. And it was not even just about the dancing; her entire experience with Rodrigo was also...different. She was not sure if it was because she potentially met her match (non-romantically), or because she just met someone new. He had an aura of mysteriousness around him, that's for sure, but she knew there was more to it than that. With the dancing, it dawned on her that since she still not chosen an after school activity, perhaps she can enroll in dancing lessons.

_Hmmm, perhaps enrolling in dancing lessons can give me that excitement or meaning that has been missing in my life for a long while. I just hope that they are not into hip-pop or that weird techno music. Ugh, they are a load of crap._ She thought to herself. _I'll talk to the teacher and see if it's worthwhile. Couldn't hurt to ask._

Meanwhile, Rodrigo was just leaving his house and going to catch the bus. Unlike Helga, Rodrigo was not thinking much about yesterday's event. He had other priorities right now, two of them are attempting to make new friends and choosing an after school activity. He had danced with many girls during his time and Helga was no exception. Sure, that punch to his stomach was something new, and sure her ability to dance seemed to have come out of nowhere, but other than that, it was not something that he pondered about in his mind.

He had previously met some Latino students in his school, but he had reservations about them. They behaved...immaturely. That, and unlike his compadres, he was not a stereotypical Latino. His views and thoughts were very different from those of his own community, a factor that often brought him into conflict. Besides, most of his friends in the past had been Latinos, and seeing as how he was in a new city, he wanted things to be different and meet different people.

_I'll just keep an eye out for other groups. This is a big school, so it should not be that hard to make new friends. Besides, I want a challenge and befriending Latinos is too.. easy._ He thought to himself.

When Helga arrived at school, she opened the doors and started walking towards her locker. As she was doing so, she began to suspect that she was being watched. At first it was only a few students, but as she further walked down the hall, it was mostly everyone.

_Ah great. They are probably still reeling from yesterday's event with Rodrigo. Crimeny these kids nothing better to do than to gossip about things that is not their business. Can't they just let it go already? Who cares if I danced with him_? She thought with an irritated face.

As she arrived at her locker, she saw that the rest of the gang were also there, talking to Phoebe, but no doubt also waiting for her to ask her about yesterday's event. She rolled her eyes as she approached her locker, annoyed at the interrogation that was about to take place.

Helga's relationship with the rest of gang had always been…distant, even when they were kids, except with Phoebe. It saw some improvement after their adventure in San Lorenzo and when everyone discovered what Helga did for Arnold in finding his parents. However, after Arnold left Hillwood, their relationship took a nose dive, mainly due to Helga's depression. Only within the last year was there some interaction taking place between Helga and everyone else, although Helga never really considered the group to be her own clique. She just sort of...hanged out with them. However, that is not to say that she did not care about them.

She reached her locker and before anyone had a chance to say anything, Helga spoke first nonchalantly, "Let me guess. You want to know what transpired yesterday, right?"

"Well for starters, you can perhaps explain to us when did you learn to dance like that?" Rhonda Wellington Lloyd asked her.

"The whole school is talking about it; Helga G. Pataki, dancing gracefully with so much energy and passion…it took everyone by surprise, really. We would not have believed it ourselves had it not been for Phoebe to confirm the rumors." She continued.

Helga looked at Phoebe, who was simply shying away and said sheepishly, "Sorry Helga, but they forced it out of me."

Helga simply smiled at Phoebe, acknowledging that it was OK.

Rhonda Wellington Lloyd had changed a lot since they were kids. Although still not one to pass up a good gossip and still really into the latest fashion, her interests in other areas had increased dramatically. She became a highly passionate advocate in opera, the arts and literature, the latter topic she shared with Helga. She even became involved in the restoration of ancient works of arts and ancient cities throughout the world. When ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) began to demolish many of the ancient works and monuments of Ancient Sumer and Babylon in Iraq, Rhonda had everyone in school and in their neighborhood sign a petition and personally sent it to the United Nations at New York City, condemning such actions as a crime against human civilization. With her physique, she was one of the most beautiful girls at their school, now having longer hair that went down to her shoulders, all awhile maintaining her status as one of the school's popular student.

Her parties at her mansion had become legendary. Because their school had hundreds of students, she was not able to invite everyone, which results in some students often fighting for a chance to get invited.

Even Helga had to admit that she liked this new Rhonda, although she would never admit it out loud. Although they would still sometimes clash, their relationship had warmed, with each acknowledging and respecting their strengths and admiration for one another.

"I have my ways, Princess. Other than that, there is nothing else for me say." Helga said.

This was a typical response from Helga. Asking her anything about her life or interest was like pulling teeth, almost impossible.

Rhonda was still undeterred. She simply rolled her eyes and continued to ask her, "Oh please Helga. There is no shame in you dancing, other than punching that poor kid in the stomach, that is. We are all just surprised. We did not know that you had it in you, mostly because you don't tell us anything!"

Helga simply just shrugged her shoulders. She was not sure if they were genuinely curious about her, or just wanted to use whatever piece of information as a source of gossip. Either way, her life was her own concern and no one else's.

Rhonda just slapped herself in the face and groaned in defeat. _Why do I even bother?_ She thought.

"Well gosh Helga, we were all just impressed about the rumors running around and just wanted to talk to you about it. As Miss Rhonda said, we are just surprised." Stinky interjected, who still retained his southern accent.

"What else is there to know? We danced, I punched him, and then I left." Helga said with a smirk on her face. "Now let me get my things from locker before I am late for class." She continued with a more serious tone.

Gerald was leaning on the lockers this whole time, patiently waiting for this pointless conversation to end, as he knew Helga was never going to talk. He even protested about confronting her about it in the first place.

Realizing that the bell was going to ring soon, the gang quickly dispersed so as to reach their home class on time, ending the interrogation, much to Helga's relieve.

As Rodrigo arrived at his home class, Geography, he sat down almost at the back end of the room. Unbeknownst to him, he was not aware of the rumors that were circling around the school. Also unbeknownst to him, Harold and Sid were sitting right next to him, as they recognized him that he was the one who danced with Helga.

Harold had become more muscular, although he still retained his physical shape. He had matured a lot since he was a kid, although he was still the most immature of the bunch. He and Patty had started dating just last year and were going strong.

Sid had also grown a lot physically. Although not as muscular as Harold, he still acquired a good physique, using it to his advantage with the ladies. He still retained his famous green cap, wearing it backwards that covered his head, along with a black leather jacket. Both he and Harold, along with Gerald and Stinky had joined the footfall team.

After trying to figure who should first speak to him, Sid decided to try it out and tapped on Rodrigo's shoulder and asked him, "Pssst. Hey, are you the guy that danced with Helga?"

Curiously, Rodrigo turned around to face him and responded back, "Yes, why?"

"Hi, I'm Sid. This here is Harold. We're friends of Helga" Sid said, as he extended his hand to shake Rodrigo's.

"You are friends with Helga?" Rodrigo asked, to which Sid nodded.

"Helga has friends?" Rodrigo asked jokingly, but with a smirk on his face.

Both Sid and Harold laughed, not blaming him for not believing them.

"I know I know, it's hard to believe that, but yes we are her friends. We were not there but we heard the rumors about you and her dancing. It took us by surprise really, as she does not usually tell anything about herself. But from what we heard, you guys danced well together." Sid explained.

"Wait; there are rumors about us dancing?" Rodrigo asked.

"Uh ya." Said confirmed, with a rather confused expression. "It's all over the school. Didn't anyone tell you?"

"I am new here, so I have not yet had the chance to be acquainted with anyone."

"Oh well, welcome to Hillwood High!" Harold exclaimed as he gave a big tap on Rodrigo's back.

"Thanks" Rodrigo said, while feeling a little pain on this back.

"We have just to ask you, how did you manage to get Helga to dance with you?" Sid asked Rodrigo.

Rodrigo then explained to them the whole story about how they met and why he challenged her to dance.

"Oh wow, ya you must have impressed her." Harold said.

"If that's what you want to call it, sure. With that punch she gave me to the stomach, I do not think I made such an impression on her." Rodrigo spoke back.

"Ya she can be like that sometimes; difficult. But don't worry about her, so long as you don't stand in her way, she will leave you alone. Anyways, if you are not busy, perhaps you can come by at our table and hang out with us during lunch? I'm sure our friends would also like to meet you. You seem like a cool person to hang out with." Sid said.

Despite being flirtatious with the ladies, and sometimes letting his paranoia get the best of him, Sid was relatively a good person with a kind heart. He was impressed with how Rodrigo managed to entice Helga to dance with him, while other guys failed miserably and thought he was a cool kid to hang around with. Plus he had also calculated, quite correctly, with the way Helga behaved towards him, despite the punch she gave him, she thought that he was also OK. If Helga had an actual problem with Rodrigo, Sid would not have invited him, for Rodrigo's safety.

"Uh sure thanks, Sid. Where do you guys usually eat?" Rodrigo confirmed. Admittedly, he was rather taken aback by Sid's sudden invitation, if not suspicious. They just met. He was also not sure about having to hang out with Helga, seeing as how they were her 'friends'. Although he was impressed by her dancing performance, he did not particularly like her. He had other priorities to be concerned with, and having to deal with a difficult person as Helga was not one of them. However, not wanting to pass up an opportunity to make new friends, he took the chance and accepted it.

When lunch came around, Rodrigo met up with Sid at his locker as they had agreed, and proceed to go to the lunch room. For some reason, Rodrigo was rather nervous. He would usually get this shy when he would be introduced to a whole group of people at one time. It did not help that he may encounter Helga again. However, he tried to put such feelings aside. Once they arrived, they saw their group sitting at the far end of the lunch room. Initially Rodrigo did not see Helga, however, to his dismay, he soon saw her sitting behind the group, almost as if she was not part of it. By a stroke of luck, she had decided to have lunch with everyone on that day.

"Hey guys, look who I found at my home class!" Sid asked the group. "This is Rodrigo Castile, he is the guy who danced with Helga yesterday."

Rodrigo wondered if Sid wanted him to meet his friends because he was an OK guy, or just to show him off to his friends like a freak.

"Hey" Rodrigo said, as everyone started to look at him.

When Helga heard his name, she looked up and almost lost her balance from her chair. _You have got to be kidding me? What is he doing here?! Sid, I am going to kill you!_ She thought to herself as she was scowling at them both.

"Let me introduce you to everyone. This is Gerald Johanssen." Sid began the introduction.

"Hey man, nice to meet you. Glad to see you came out at one piece from your adventure yesterday." Gerald said.

"Hi Gerald, thanks, so am I." Rodrigo said jokingly.

"You already know Harold." Said continued, as Harold gave him another slap on his back. "This is Sheena."

"Please to meet you, Rodrigo" Sheena said.

"The feeling is mutual." Rodrigo could instantly tell that, based on her head band covered in flowers, as well has having flowers on her shoes, that she was probably an environmental.

"Correct if I am wrong Sheena, but I can see that you happen a deep connection with nature." Rodrigo analyzed.

"Yes I am actually! In fact, I am president of the environmental group here at our school. Perhaps if you are interested, you can come to one of our meeting held every Tuesday?" Sheena asked him.

"I look forward to it. I am also concerned about the environment and I would like to do my part." Rodrigo said.

Although she was not showing it, Helga was looking at this with disgust. _Show off._ She thought.

"This is Phoebe Heyerdahl." Sid continued.

Phoebe Heyerdahl has not changed much during the years. She remains as one of the brightest students and her intellect has only increased with time. She usually dresses modestly, sometimes wearing a long blue dress with tang-top with flowers on it, or blue jeans, depending on the weather. She retains her glasses. physically, she the shortest person within the group, but like most girls, her body started to developed into a woman's body.

"Nice to meet you, Rodrigo." Phoebe said.

"Same here. I have actually heard about you throughout the school. Your reputation as one of this school's brightest students has preceded you. It is an honor Phoebe." Rodrigo said to him.

Phoebe simply blushed as the comment, much to Helga's chagrin.

"This is Eugene Horowitz." Sid continued on.

Eugene stopped wearing his sandals and suited to wearing white shoes. He still retained his blue pants with a white shirt that often had a bowtie around his collar. As ever, he still remained a very clumsy kid.

"Hi Rodrigo! It is a pleasure someone who has a taste in the theatrical." Eugene exclaimed.

"Thank you. I have been in a few plays before. I am assuming you are also into theatre?" Rodrigo asked him.

"Yes I am! I hope to see you on stage. Perhaps you can help some of us with your dancing?"

"I would love to help you guys out. Just let me know when and I'll be there." Rodrigo promised.

"This here is Lila Sawyer." Sid continued on.

"I'm ever so glad to meet your acquaintance Rodrigo." Lila said.

Lila still usually wears a light green outfit, and like Phoebe, would sometimes wear a dress, which is slightly shorter than Phoebe's, that often resembles her time in the farm, or jeans. As in her previous years as a kid, she still retained her beauty which often causes guys to stop dead in their tracks whenever she walked around the hallways. Her personality has not changed much as she still remains one of the easiest people to speak to and befriend, although she eventually stopped telling her usual farm jokes.

_She seems really cheerful...may be too much_. Rodrigo thought.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Sawyer. I look forward to getting to know you better." Rodrigo responded back.

Helga looked on with a bit of amazement and thought with a frown on her face, _Leave it up to Little Miss Perfect for everyone to like her._

"This is Stinky Peterson" Sid proceeded with the introduction.

"Gosh Rod, nice to meet you. Heard about your dancing, heard you made some swell moves."

"Thanks Stinky. I am assuming from your accent, you from the American South?" Rodrigo asked him.

"Yes sir, straight from Arkansas." Stinky confirmed.

"Oh wow, you guys make some of the best lemon pudding in the South. I hope you can perhaps direct me if they make any of that pudding in this city." Rodrigo said.

"Sure no problem Rod. Always happy to help a person out." Stinky said.

_Wow, this guy is really sticking it up there._ Helga thought.

"And this is Rhonda Wellington Lloyd" Sid continued.

"Please to make your acquaintance Rodrigo. And I must apologize for our friend's behavior back there." Rhonda said, while pointing at Helga.

Taking one good look at Rhonda, he knew exactly what to say to her. He took her hand, gently kissed it, then said to her in French, "Votre excuses n'est il faut pas, mademoiselle. Seulement ton présence et beauté est assez pour me faire oublier des mes malchances." (No need to apologize Miss. Only your presence and beauty is enough to make me forget about my misfortunes)

"Ohh monsieur, merci!" exclaimed Rhonda, while trying to not to blush. "Enfin, quelqu'un qui est cultivé aussi" (Oh sir, thank you! Finally, someone who is also cultured.)

_Too bad that little twisted freak (Curly) was not here to see this. He would have flipped_. Helga thought with an evil smirk to her face.

Finally, Sid took Rodrigo to meet Helga...again.

"And I think you know Helga Pataki."

Helga just stood there, giving him a scowling face, as if she understood when he said to Rhonda that meeting Helga was a 'misfortune'. But he did not care.

Still a little upset over the punch she gave him, which he felt was uncalled for, and trying to end this awkward silence that was starting to develop between them, Rodrigo then took a bold chance and said to her in Spanish,

"Espero que arreglastes tu comportamiento" (I hope you fixed your attitude), he said to her with smirk on his face.

Helga continued to stand there, only her eyes were wide now. _Is he serious? Is he still trying to best me?_ She thought.

Then she returned with her own smirk to him and then said in perfect Spanish, "Espero que te han arreglado tus ojos." (I hope they fixed your eyes.) but with an American accent.

This was unexpected. He had not considered that Helga would be bilingual. For a moment, he was speechless, not knowing what to say. However, he soon realized that everyone else was also starting at her, and it soon became clear that up until to that point, no one knew that she knew how to speak Spanish.

"Uh Helga? Since when do you know Spanish?" Eugene asked her.

"I got bored last summer, so I decided to learn another language, and Spanish seemed like a good fit." Helga responded back nonchalantly, while still looking back at Rodrigo with a smirk.

Rodrigo then replaced his smirk with a genuine smile, acknowledging his newfound respect for her. For the second time in two days, he had severely underestimated her. Yet it was not all a total loss, for this also provided him with further information about her personality: This was a girl who did not reveal much about her, which created this aura of mysteriousness. She would speak only when she needed to speak and nothing more. She was a straight-up shooter who was dead honest. She can be very opinionated when she needed to. Her biggest weapon was the element of surprise, which she used with deadly effect. This is a person that people should definitely think twice about messing with.

Yet, he also realized that he revealed too much about himself to her. Like Helga, he liked to maintain an aura of mysteriousness around him. It made things…interesting. But he had been so preoccupied with making a first impression that he had completely forgotten that Helga was there.

_Damn it! I revealed too much! Better stay on the down-low for a while._ He thought.

"Well, unless you two want to start dancing again, enough about us. Tell us where you are from Rodrigo?" Gerald asked, finally killing the silence that was starting to develop again.

"I came from Los Angeles. I just moved to Hillwood only two months ago. We thought moving here would be better for us. Things in L.A. were...not looking good for us there." Rodrigo explained.

"Oh so you were born in the U.S.?" Harold asked.

"No. My parents immigrated here a few years after I was born back home in Latin America. They struggled to get by initially, but they were able to obtain their university degrees and are now working at the same type of job that they worked back home. Happy ending, really." Rodrigo continued on.

Helga listened on while Rodrigo spoke about his origins. After a short while, just as Rodrigo tried to pull something on her, she decided to be bold too and pull something on him.

When Rodrigo finished, she got up and asked him, "So where from Latin American do you hail from? The one with the funny hates, the one with the civil wars, or the one with the cocaine problem?"

"HELGA!" Phoebe cried out, horrified by her potentially racist question.

Indeed, everyone was looking at her with a horrified expression on their face, but Helga was undeterred. Gerald was particularly irritated and was about to say something when he heard Rodrigo laughing.

"Hahahahahahaha, Oh my god Helga that was jokes!" Rodrigo cried out.

"Glad to see you are having a laugh at Helga's joke" Gerald said to him.

"Oh on the contrary Gerald, hahahaha, I do not think she was joking when she asked me that. I don't think she is racist, which is why it is sooo funny! Oh man I have to use that with my crowd. They will kill me, but it'll be soo funny, and that's the point hahahaha."

Everyone was confused by this, as they did not seem to grasp the funny side of Helga's question. They were just relieved that he was not offended.

Although they do not yet know it, Rodrigo is well known for making racist, homophobic and sexual jokes, but not because he is racist, sexist and homophobic himself. Quite the contrary, the very reason why he makes such jokes is not to make fun of those who were or still are on the receiving end of them (blacks, gays, women, queer etc.). Rather, he makes such jokes because he is making fun of the very people who actually believed or still believe that certain racial or ethnic groups, certain genders and the other sex is superior to everyone else. He makes fun of the perpetrators' own belief in such racist, sexist and homophobic slander.

"Thanks Helga, I actually needed that hahaha. But seriously, you forgot the region that is currently experiencing the refugee crisis, which is where I am from."

Then he quickly added, "I'm not a refugee. My family came in legally and we are now U.S. citizens." while smiling back at Helga.

"Glad I got a laugh out of you." She said while smiling back at him. Considering how everyone was looking at her, she was glad that Rodrigo understood the joking side of her question, although she did not expect him to actually find it funny.

_This guy is something else…_she thought.

"Oookkk, anyways class is about to start, so we should get going. But first, Rodrigo, you play sports?" Gerald asked him.

"Yes. I mostly play soccer, obviously, but I like to also play other sports as well." Rodrigo responded back.

"Well alright. We are going to be playing a baseball with another school in a few days. If your available, you should come." Gerald said.

"Glad to, thanks Gerald" Rodrigo said.

And with that, the group said their goodbyes, dispersed and went to their next class.

When class ended, Helga and Phoebe walked towards the bus lane. Phoebe, still upset at Helga's racial remark during lunch, said to her,

"Helga, you are incredibly lucky that Rodrigo did take any offense by your question. The region has a sad history of violence, gang wars and political instability, and I am sure that is one of the reasons why he and his family immigrated here."

"Relax Pheebs. I did not simply ask him that question without analyzing the situation and how he would react to it. I know I can be impulsive sometimes, but in this case, I carefully weighed my options. You should actually be proud of me." Helga explained.

"Well regardless, I would suggest that you be more careful. Unfortunately, not everyone would have found that remark so amusing." Phoebe warned.

"Will do Pheebs. Are you going to take the bus back home?" Helga asked her.

"Yes Helga, why?"

"It's a nice day out and I feel like taking a walk back home. So I'll see you tomorrow." Helga said and started walking away towards her.

A few minutes earlier, Rodrigo had already left school and had decided to also walk home. It was still very sunny and hot, with almost no clouds in the sky and he was in a good mood. He had met a group of new friends that seemed really nice to hang out with. The way he was introduced to them and how welcoming they were into their group, for the first time in such a long time, he felt he belonged somewhere. As an added bonus, he was also glad that things seemed to have finally relaxed between him and Helga.

_Perhaps things can work out between me and her._ He thought. He put on his headphone and started walking home to the beats of his music.

After almost three-quarters of the way home, Helga spotted Rodrigo in front her, happily humming, while doing some type of weird dance.

She looked on with curiosity and amusement. She noticed him mimicking the lyrics that he was hearing. Then, he started to actually sign and instantly recognized the band that he was listening to.

_He likes Linkin Park? He is into that type of music as well?_ She thought to herself.

Her amusement then quickly disappeared as his signing increased.

_Ugh! He may be a good dancer, but his singing is horrible!_ She thought.

Then Rodrigo stopped at the end of the road, waiting for the red light to turn green.

Helga then approached him until she was right behind him, then gently tapped him on his left shoulder.

Rodrigo got out from the trance, turned around and was surprised to find Helga right behind him.

"Hey" he said surprisingly.

"Hey. Your singing is horrible." She said bluntly.

"My signing? I was signing?" Rodrigo asked, to which Helga then nodded.

Rodrigo immediately turned red. He knew he was not a good singer and so he would only mimic the words that he heard.

"Sorry. I was so into the music that I did not notice that I was signing. Thanks for letting me know" He said.

"I'd figure I would spare you from humiliating yourself." Helga said with a smile.

"Do you live around here?" Rodrigo asked her.

"Just up this street. You?" She asked back.

"Same. Well since we are going the same direction, can I walk with you?" he asked, although he was not sure why he even was asking.

"Whatever floats your boat. Just don't try to sing again." Helga warned.

As they started walking together, Helga saw the color of his skin, it was brown, while hers was white, and she immediately thought back to what Phoebe said to her after school. While never being political, she was well aware of the rampant institutional racism that permeated through the U.S. and could not help but wonder that perhaps, she may have taken things too far with her question. Perhaps Rodrigo was offended by it and only laughed at it just out of politeness.

As guilt started to get the best of her, and to try to make some sort of conversation, she decided confirm, "I uhh… hope you were not offended by my question during lunch." she said to him timidly.

Rodrigo was surprised by her sudden concern and timidness. Despite her being white, he was not offended by her question, but had not expected her to be self conscious about it.

_Hmm, there is more to this person than she lets on._ He thought.

"No, I wasn't. If I was, I would have made it known to you." he confirmed back with a smile, which relaxed Helga a bit. Then he quickly added,

"I hope your butt still not sore from yesterday." with a smirk.

Helga let out a small laughter that she couldn't contain. This was the first time that Rodrigo ever heard her laugh and thought, _She looks happy when she laughs. She needs to do that more often._

"No, it's not sore anymore, thanks bucko" Helga said.

After some small talk, they arrived on Rodrigo's street. They then said their goodbyes and went home.

Before going to bed that night, Helga was finishing the last paragraph to Arnold's letter….

…_and so my football headed friend, another day has gone by without you. I still have not chosen any activities to do after school, but I should figure it out soon. Hope all is well on your end, if you catch my drift, hahahahaha._

_On another side note, the new kid I spoke about yesterday; well, his name is Rodrigo Castile and hails from Latin America, although he did not specify where exactly. He was introduced to everyone by Sid and everyone seems to like him. I still don't know what to make of him, but…I kind of like him too._

_Yours always,_

_Helga G. Pataki_


	3. Chapter 3 - Quantity Time Part II

**Hi everyone! As promised, here is the third chapter. So in this chapter I will be introducing Helga's family, but I want to focus on her relationship with Olga. Obviously, they have never been close, but let's see when Helga asks her one important question...Enjoy!**

* * *

It was an early weekend afternoon and Helga has been in her pink pajamas all day, playing some music when she realized that she was getting late to see an upcoming action movie she had wanted to see.

_Oh crap! I'd better get dressed! I do not want to be late for the movie._ She thought.

She quickly grabbed a cleaned shirt from her drawer, then she tied her pink bow and put on her big blue hat. However, she realized that she had no cleaned jeans to wear today.

_you have got to be kidding me!_ She thought.

*sigh*

Reluctantly, she went to her dirty laundry basket to see if she can find a pair of jeans. Yet to her surprise, the basket was empty.

_What the...? Where are my clothes? Was I robbed last night? No, Miriam must have done the laundry today._ She thought.

"Mom! Did you do the laundry today? I ran out of clean jeans to wear!" Helga cried to her mom.

"I did dear. I left them on top of your desk, along with your other cleaned clothes!" Miriam replied back to her.

"Oh. Thanks Miriam" Helga said back.

Helga looked toward her desk and saw a full stack of cleaned clothes. She was surprised that her mom did the laundry today. She had expected her to say something irrelevant, only to contradict herself, much to Helga's annoyance, an indication that she forgot to do it, which would usually result in Helga doing her own laundry.

"I guess those anonymous meetings are really working." She said to herself, although she was not holding much hope into it.

It was not the first time that Miriam had attended these meetings, but it is the first time where she had been going to them consistently for months now and there had been some improvements. Although Helga was happy about that, it hurt her knowing these improvements only came out due to Olga arriving back home. When Olga was away, Miriam made little to no effort to attend these meetings and no improvement in her drinking or behavior showed.

_Why couldn't she have made the effort for me?_ she thought sadly, as she fiddled with her folded cleaned clothes.

Nevertheless, she put such negative and sad thoughts away because, at least Miriam was now getting the help that she needed and Helga hoped that she could eventually start becoming a Mom to her again.

As she put her clothes on, she was just about to step out of her room when she heard a commotion downstairs between Olga and Big Bob.

"I'm sorry Olga but I can't make it to your acting interview today. I have an important meeting to attend to with some high ranking clientele." Big Bob said to her.

Ever since the introduction of cell phones and !Phones, Big Bob had to completely redo his inventory with the new technology in order to stay in business. It was hard work but he pulled through. His business continued to thrive and he became more wealthy. However, it came at a cost to both Miriam and Helga. He continued to ignore Miriam's alcoholism, while also not spending any time with Helga. Worse still, his business transition came at a time when Helga was reeling from the loss of Arnold moving away. He was completely clueless to Helga's deteriorating mental condition, considering it nothing more than a woman's 'time of the month'.

It was only when he come home late one night and saw Helga in tears on the couch that he realized something was wrong and attempted to comfort her, as any father would. Although in the grand scheme of things, it was too little, it was not too late because on that every day, Helga had seriously considered cutting herself. It was only due to her father's intervention on that fateful day that Helga managed to find enough strength to not go through with it.

"But Daddy, can't you just reschedule it? It would really mean a lot if someone went with me to the rehearsal. It is an important piece that I'm sure that I can get it. Mom has another meeting today so she can't make it."

Ever since Helga put her foot down, Big Bob reluctantly accepted Olga's new career choice, but he was never happy about it. He felt that all the effort that was put into Olga over the years were a total waste. Big Bob knew that Olga had so much more potential than being just an actress. She could have been anything really. But now, unwilling to lose his two daughters, he had to accept the reality and allow to make her choice.

"Oh for crying out loud! Olga, I never liked your career choice in the first place, so I don't know why you would even want me there. Can't you take someone else with you?"

"Like who?" Olga asked him, almost choking.

"Like ummm..ummm...oh the other Olga...what's her name...Helga!" Big Bob called out to her, just as Helga was slowly creeping towards the door to make her escape.

"Helga, why don't you tag with your older sister to her interview today?"

"What? But I have made big plans today, Bob." Helga complained.

"Oh ya? What sort of plans do you have today?" he asked her while raising one eyebrow.

"Well they are ummm...you know big like... going to the movies?" Helga responded with a nervous smile.

Big Bob just lower his eyelids and simply said to her, "Your going with your sister to her interview today." Then he walked away to get ready for his meeting, leaving Helga stunned with her mouth open.

"Oh please baby sister, it would mean the world to me if you came to my interview" Olga pleaded with her. "Especially since you were the only one that supported me."

"Oh crimeny fine! I'll go to your interview with you." Helga responded back while pouting.

"Oooohhh goody! Thank you baby sister!" Olga cried while she tightly hugged Helga.

"Ya ya, just get ready so we can go already." Helga said as she shoved Olga away.

"Right, let me get my script and purse and we will be on our way."

_I cannot believe I am stuck here going to some stupid acting interview on a perfectly good day. I am starting to regret supporting her in her career choice. _ Helga thought frustratingly.

As they were driving, so as to 'support her', Helga asked Olga, "So what role are you going to be interviewing for?"

"It's one of the main roles for this play. It is a female detective investigating a murder, but little does she know that the murder involves some highly powerful people. It is kind of like the movie Citizen Kane or the Manchurian Candidate." Olga explained.

"Sure to be a thrill Olga." Helga said non-enthusiastically.

Once they arrived, the girls were surprised it was such a big theatre. It was able seat an audience of more than 1,000 people. However, the interview was not located on the stage itself. Both Helga and Olga had to go downstairs to the basement, where they saw other candidates waiting for their turn. At the end as a door that said 'interviews'.

They did not have to wait long before Olga was called in for her interview.

"Wish me luck baby sister" Olga said with a wink.

Helga simply gave Olga a thumbs up as she went inside.

Within 30 seconds, Olga came back out, visibly upset.

Surprised, Helga got up and said to her, "Well that was fast. They hired you on the spot eh?" with a smile.

_Looks like I'm going to be able to make to the movies after all_. She thought happily.

"No, they didn't. I only said a few words of my lines before the director interrupted me and said 'thank you' and that they will call me if I am hired." Olga explained sadly. "That usually means that I was not a good fit."

"Oh. I'm sorry Olga" Helga said, now a little concerned.

"It's ok. There is always another role." Olga said, trying to be positive.

Helga was now concerned about Olga. Not only was this the sixth time that she had been rejected from a role, but instead of her usual annoying crying and squeaky tone of voice, Olga simply looked demoralized and sad. And these were only the roles that they called her for an interview. She had applied to many different roles, most of them minor ones, but she only managed to get called for six.

The car ride home was silent. Wanting to cheer her up, Helga spoke up, breaking the silence, "You'll get more roles again. Screw them, they do not know what they doing."

"Thank you baby sister, but...don't tell daddy this, but I am now having second thoughts about this career choice. It's been six months since I arrived back home and I have not yet landed a single role on any stage. Six months and I have nothing to show for it." Olga explained sadly.

This was too much for Helga. Although she never fancied her older sister, she couldn't help but feel bad for her. Olga had always triumphed in any area, but this is the first time where she has been experiencing failure after failure. Helga remembered back when she was nine years old when she, out of jealousy, intentionally changed Olga's grade from straight A's to B's, resulting in Olga having a complete meltdown. She was now concerned that she might experience another meltdown, only this time a serious one.

_*sigh*, I'm going to be regret this_. Helga thought to herself.

Wanting to cheer her up, Helga said as genuinely as she could, "Listen Olga, instead of going home, why don't we spend some time together and get some hot chocolate."

"Really?" Olga asked, to which Helga nodded.

"Oh baby sister that would be wonderful!" Olga cried out as she let go of the steering wheel as she attempted to hug Helga, inadvertently letting car steer right onto oncoming traffic.

"Olga! the wheel! grab the wheel!" Helga shouted at her while panicking. Just at the nick of time Olga grabbed the wheel and steered the car to the right side of the road.

"Don't...*panting* do that...*panting* again!" Helga warned Olga, while grabbing her heart.

"Sorry baby sister, I got a little carried away" Olga said.

"A little?!" Helga barked back.

_Yup, I'm already regretting this._ Helga thought

After a few minutes, they saw a café and decided to go there. After parking and paying the fee, they went inside, ordered some hot chocolate and sat down to...talk.

Five minutes later and there was still dead silence. Neither of them knew what to talk about. Both soon realized that they never did take an opportunity to simply sit down and talk. It soon dawned on Helga that despite being sisters, she knew nothing about her. She had been so resentful and jealous of here that she never took the time to get to know her.

Getting anxious about the silence and wanting to break it, Helga soon thought of a topic that she wanted to ask Olga about. It was something that Olga had said to her when she was nine, the same day when she had her meltdown over her grades changing.

She honestly did not want to touch this subject, but she had always been curious about what it was liked to have so much attention drawn towards you. She would not know what it was like, but Olga does. Besides, it's not like they had anything else to talk about.

"Olga?" Helga began to ask her with a rather timid tone, "What was it like?"

"What was what like?" Olga asked her.

"Remember when I was nine years old and I changed your grades and you had a mental breakdown? You said to me that I must think that it must be nice to have to constantly perform and exceed our parent's expectations like a windup doll. I was just wondering...what was it like to have all that attention?"

Olga was surprised by Helga's question. She was expecting to talk to her about what has been going on in her life, if there are any boys, what activities is she currently into, etc. However, deep down she knew that Helga would one day ask her about this; she just did not expect it to be so soon, especially at her age. She took a moment before deciding to respond. After sometime, she finally spoke up,

"Terrible. It made me blind really, about things, about myself...and about you. I mean, on the one hand, I was happy that I was always getting praises and compliments from our parents. I wanted to make them proud, and I initially liked doing the activities that I was doing. I got good grades, I never got into trouble, I was the perfect child etc. But it soon became tiresome, which, as time moved on, later evolved into an existential crisis for me."

"I realized that my identity, who I was, was not within me, but on our parents' and everyone's expectations. I was never able to become the person that I wanted to be; only the person that everyone else wanted me to be. You'd think that I could have just rebelled or at least just did things that I wanted to do, even the simple things. But it was not that easy. I became so accustomed to everyone else's expectation that it became my whole world. I found that the only thing that I was ever good at was to perform as a windup doll for everyone. I let that identity become my identity, without ever questioning it. It was, as how in political philosophy they say, a totalitarian ideology, where any sense of individualism was eradicated."

Olga stopped for a moment, allowing Helga to absorb everything that she just heard. Then she continued,

"The worst part is that it blinded me from not-so-good things that were occurring at our family. Because I was brought up to be perfect, I reflected that illusion onto our family, believing that our family was also perfect. Hence, not only did I ignore, but I chose not see our mother's alcoholism, I chose not to see with the way our father influenced us..." Olga choked up a bit, before continuing on, "... and I chose to ignore the way they were treating you."

Olga was no longer able to hold it in and let out a few tears drop down her face, but she reframed from sobbing and continued on, "Helga, you were are not a bad child. You NEVER were a bad child. If anything, you were the only one that did not get sucked up into this illusion of a 'perfect family'. You were the only one that was able to be your own person, to rise above it all and continue on with your head high. I envy you baby sister, you were always far stronger than I ever was, and I am sorry that you had to suffer for it."

Helga was speechless and in complete shock. She did not expect Olga to come out this clean, but before she could respond, Olga continued on,

"That is why I decided to become an actress. It was not simply a form of rebellion, but also because I enjoy it. I liked performing on plays, only this time I know that the characters are fictional. I know that the stage is fictional. Plus I always had a fancy for theatre, plays and movies, I just never told daddy about it because I knew he would not approve."

"I was so scared before of what would have happened if I ever did something that they would not approve of. It was not just a form of cowardice, but worse, it was a form of mental/symbolic death. I had actually believed that if I did not do what made them happy, that I would die, mentally speaking, in their eyes. And to me, that would have been devastating."

"But I no longer care anymore. I don't care if they approve of what I am doing in my life or not. While I was taking psychology courses I realized that I still do have a choice, and if I still have a choice, then I must exist in my own right. I couldn't take it anymore."

"I know what you are thinking; that our parents, especially daddy is this mean dictator that took away all our freedoms, but no, it is not that simple baby sister. I don't think that neither mommy or daddy were ever conscious about what they were doing. They were not consciously imposing this false view of me onto me. I know that they have their own problems and because of that, because of their own failures, they wanted to see only the good in me."

Olga knew something that Helga did not. When Miriam was informed that she was pregnant with Helga, she told Big Bob, who did not take the news well. Because he was just getting his business off the ground at that time, he had wanted Miriam to get an abortion. After some serious arguments, Miriam finally relented. However, Olga was happy that she was going to have a baby sister, and wanting to save her, stood up to Big Bob and demanded that Miriam have Helga, otherwise Olga threatened that she would run away. Seeing this, Big Bob relented and gave his approval to have Helga. This was a piece of information that Olga was determined to take to her grave. She knows that this information would break any lasting hope Helga may have in reconciling with her parents. She knows that if Helga ever does find out, she would never forgive them.

Helga was in such a shock from all of this that she started shaking. She didn't know what to make of this.

_She knew? Olga knew what I was going through and yet she did nothing? Just like our parents, she also ignored me on that day when I had to go to pre-school, letting me go of on my own like that?_

After some time, once she regain herself, she became angry and starting scowling at Olga,

"You knew the way I was being treated in that house and you did nothing? You pretended that everything was ok, while I rotted in that house for years, forever thinking that I was nothing but a shadow, a leftover, an ugly thing that had to be put away in some attic where no one could see me! How do you think I felt, how to you think I was feeling when I saw our parents giving you all the love and attention while I got nothing!"

Olga just stood there with her eyes wide open, but she was not surprised by Helga's outburst. However, before she could say anything, Helga abruptly got it and started walking away. She decided to let Helga cool down a bit, but still followed her.

After about an hour, Helga went to the nearest park and sat down on a bent, being deep into her thoughts about what just transpired.

It was a beautiful day, with the sun still shining, warming up the earth with its ray, with barely a cloud in the sky. The birds were still chirping away and the ducks were still swimming in the pond. Helga sat there, trying to absorb nature's beauty, hoping to relax and allow just to enjoy the scenery. Yet alas, she was not able to.

She was fuming! To think that her own sister would just stand by and not only do nothing, but worse, be part of the neglect that she experienced all of her life, all awhile pretending that everything was ok while she suffered. She couldn't believe it. She felt betrayed.

_It is because of them why I am always so angry and resentful. It is because of them why I have been obsessing over Arnold since I was three. It is because of them why, despite it being more two years since he left, I am still obsessing over him! He was the only one that saw anything of value in me, not my family!_

As she continued to sit on the bent, she thought about running away. She could not take it anymore. She had to run away, what else was left for her to do? But where would she go? The boarding house? Arnold's grandparents still lived there and Helga was sure that they could accommodate her. But knowing them, they would inform Arnold of this, to which he would respond back to her, urging her to move back home and reconcile with her parents, like it was that easy.

As she thought more and more about this, she became more and more angry, bringing her almost to tears.

_Ugh! This is why I do not like thinking about this. I can't think about what had already happened; it is infuriating!_ Helga cried out in her head.

Then, she remembered what Rodrigo had said in their history class on their first day; about those that did not like history simply did not like their own history; they did not want, or are not able to look back into the past and those that did not, had no future, no way out. Without history, there was no future, no way to move on.

Initially, Helga scoffed at the idea, but try as she might, she was not able to get it out of her head. Something about what he said stuck with her and it wasn't letting go. It was not just about the past, but whose past? Olga's? someone else's? As she continued ponder about it, she then remembered what Olga had said about watching how their parents treated her, but pretended as if everything was OK. Again, she started to become angry, but then a thought appeared: What if Olga was pretending that everything was OK because she saw what the consequences would be if she did not continue to meet their parents' expectations?

Helga continued to sit there, but with eyes wide open at the thought that just came through her head: Both sisters were at the extreme end of their parents' expectations and attention. With Olga being older and more conscious of her environment, she realized, with the way Helga was been neglected and how angry and resentful she was becoming to everyone, Olga was probably afraid that this would have happened to her as well.

_Wow, Olga was right; this is totalitarianism in its extreme. I cannot image the amount of fear that she must have felt if she ever stepped out of line. It was as if our parents were taunting her with the fearful image of what would happen to her if she ever failed._ She thought.

With Rodrigo's idea of history still at the back of her mind, she then remembered about an important political and social event that had occurred in France in 1789 that she learned from last year's history class and realized its similarities with Olga's situation,

_This wasn't cowardice. This was terror, not much different from the terror that was exercised during the French Revolution. Their motto was that if you did not meet its 'revolutionary' expectation and conform, you would be guillotined. Sure, people physically died during that time, but how is it any different than if a person was mentally/psychologically killed? At the very least, if you physically died, you no longer suffered. You only died once. But with Olga, she must have died numerous times. Ugh, crimeny I have been so caught up in my own feelings and my own needs that I did not think about what Olga must have felt about all of this._ She realized.

_Huh. I guess this history stuff really does have its uses._ She continued to think.

Unbeknownst to her, Olga had been following her during her walk but stayed well behind the sidelines, waiting for Helga to calm down before she can approach her.

Then, as if right on cue, Olga walked towards her, then sat down on the other side of the same bench where Helga was sitting. After a short period of silence, Helga finally spoke up and said,

"I'm sorry Olga."

"You have nothing to be sorry about, baby sister." Olga responded back. "You have every right to be upset about all of this."

"Our parents are not perfect, Helga; far from it. Really far from it, actually. But they are not bad people; they are just…very misguided and ignorant. Despite what we went through, we still had a good house to live in, had toys, clothes and the ability to live…creatively. I think also part of the reason why they are like this is because I did not speak up. I know you tried to tell me before and I know that I ignored it. I let it happen."

_Pfft, no argument there_. Helga thought.

"But you should also know that, daddy is proud of what you have accomplished." Olga said.

"Eh? Excuse me?" Helga asked while raising an eyebrow.

*_**Flashback* Two years earlier….**_

During one of Olga's visits, she was in the car with Big Bob, conversing about the future…

"You know Olga, now that my business is booming again you can go to any prestigious university; you have the grades of them."

"Thank you daddy but I am happy where I currently am. I made a lot friends and good connections for the future." Olga said

"That's my girl."

"You should use that extra money for Helga for when she goes to university, daddy." Olga suggested.

"Huh? Oh right, her. Sure, but I don't think she will need it." Big Bob said.

"What do you mean she won't need it?"

"She won't need it because I don't think she will accept it. She will find her own way to do things."

Olga looked at her father with curious eyes, waiting for him to further explain himself.

"Look Olga, this is one of the areas where Helga excels at; independence. She has always been like that, ever since she was a baby. She took her first steps by herself without any help; she would grab her own food by herself, even if sometimes it was not the right one. She did not mind playing by herself and she never backed down from a fight. Eventually, I realized that there was very little that Miriam and I could really do for her, so we let her be."

"I know at times her behavior can be troublesome, but seeing as she is my daughter, she has that part of my personality, an independent spirit, and I tried not to get in her way. I always knew that whatever she wanted to do in life, she would need very little help and I trusted her enough that I felt that I did not need to intervene or even guide her, and for that, I am proud of her." Big Bob said with a smile.

Olga looked on with amazement. Big Bob had never praised Helga like that.

"Did you ever tell Helga that, daddy?" Olga asked

"No. I figured I did not have to. Like I said, she is an independent girl." Big Bog replied back.

*_**Flashback* to the present….**_

"Oh…" was all Helga could say.

Olga simply smiled and added, "I know daddy does not have the best way of expressing himself, Helga. But you need to know that they still love you, even though they are not good at showing it. Think about all the time when they were there for you. I know that it was not all the time, but there must have been a few of them at least."

Helga knew there were times when her parents did step up and became actual parents to her. It was not often, but they did pull through, whenever they could. Miriam had quit her job as the new Beeper Queen when Big Bob injured himself, her father had tried to spend more time with her, then there was that Thanksgiving when she walked out of her home feeling unwanted, only for her family to come through and express that they were grateful that she was with them. There were many other times, too many to count really.

After a short while, Helga got up from the bench, walked towards her sister, then, while nervously grabbing one her own hands, said, "Thanks Olga." Suddenly, she went and gave her older sister a big hug, which surprised Olga, but then quickly hugged her back. In one of those rare moments, Helga did not let go for quite a while.

After talking for a while longer, they then started to walk back towards their car to go home.

As they were driving, with Helga feeling much more relaxed and feeling more..closer to her sister than ever, Olga spoke up and said,

"You know, we should do this more often; talking I mean."

"Ya, that'd be great, Olga" Helga replied back genuinely, while looking at her.

"Oohh we can also go shopping and do our make-up and get our nails down…." Olga started to add excitedly before Helga cut her off.

"Uh no, thanks Olga. I like myself just the way I am. How about we go for some hot chocolate again? It worked well last time." Helga offered with a smile.

"Sure baby sister" Olga said, while getting emotional again. Then, unable to withstand herself, she suddenly lunged herself towards Helga to hug her again, releasing the steering wheel, which cause the car to once again, move towards oncoming traffic.

"Olga! The Wheel! Grab the wheel!" Helga shouted back at her in horror.

…_Well, there you have it football head, I almost died twice today. Yet thankfully, fortune smiled upon us that day and we were spared from becoming road kill. Needless to say, I had a good time with Olga today, so I guess it was worth the risk, and I guess you were right about…this whole reconciliation thing. But, don't let that get into your ego, football head, got it?_

_I hope your time with your family has been wonderful, which I am sure it has been. Looking forward to your next letter._

_Your infamous but loving friend,_

_Helga G. Pataki_

That about wraps it up. I wanted Olga to have a say about her own situation. In other fan stories, she has been almost universally hated and has been antagonized, like her parents. To some extent, she deserves it, but just like Helga, Olga deserves to also be heard and listen to. It is just a new perspective that I wanted to provide.

In addition, there is a reason why I chose to compare Olga's situation with the French Revolution, instead of comparing it to Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime, or other dictators. You will find out why as I write more chapters.


	4. Chapter 4 - Winter is Coming

**Hi everyone. So for the next two chapters, I will be focusing more on Rodrigo's background because I think it is crucial to understand him better in order to get a better understanding of his friendship with Helga and how they relate to each other.**

**Plus in this chapter, we will see how he attempts to befriend Helga (Good luck to him lol).**

* * *

Since the first days of school, Rodrigo had started to hang out more with Helga's friends. He was impressed by how welcoming they were towards him, especially Gerald. He also liked how relax, yet hard working they were, as well as how diverse this group was, not just racially, but also in their interests. It was way better than hanging out with people whom you had too much in common with; Rodrigo found that to be…boring.

As the first weeks rolled by, he was invited to their weekly sport games, and later would often hang out with them on Friday and Saturday nights. He became acquainted with their families and they were impressed by Rodrigo's mannerism and respect that he had for his elders. This also allowed him to familiarize himself with his neighborhood. Previously he had to use Google map or some sort to direction to get around, but he eventually was able to walk many blocks from his house without the fear of getting lost.

Rodrigo was especially becoming close to Gerald, as he found him to be more mature than Sid, Skinky or Harold. However, that did not mean that he did not like them. If anything, he found it thrilling that he was able to hang out with either the entire group, or only a portion of them without any issues. Often some groups would not hang out at all unless everyone was available, at least from his experience. His relationship with the girls of the group also became warmer. Each had their own interests and he was particularly fascinated by how close Rhonda and Nadine were. Although they were no longer best friends, they remained close, despite how vast their differences were.

All seemed to be very receptive towards Rodrigo and they did not seem so reserved to talk about their personal lives. If anything, they behaved as if they wanted to, much to Rodrigo's delight. He took this as a hint that they found him to be trustworthy and unbiased. As far as Rodrigo was concerned, he felt that he was becoming more and more part of the group and everyone seemed to be glad to have accepted him; everyone that is, except Helga Pataki.

If he had to guess how Helga may have felt about him, it was mostly one of ambivalence, if not cold. Ever since their first walk home, he had hoped that there would be no further animosity between them and their relationship would improve. It did not. Although they would often engage in casual talk, that was mostly it. The rest of the times whenever they found themselves, she would give him an unappreciative look or a scowling face, sometimes accompanied by a smart remark. Rodrigo would counter it with his own smart remark. This ended up developing with a contest between them, as they attempted to best the other out.

Initially, Rodrigo did not seem to mind this 'friendly rivalry' between them. However, as time went on, it soon became repetitive, then just annoying. Rodrigo began to feel that he could not get a word out without always having to be on guard for Helga's eventual smart remark. At one time, Rodrigo had asked Gerald about this and why she always seems to be 'attacking him'.

"I feel you man. I know that it is not a comfortable position to be in. I used to feel to same way. Years back she would do the same thing to me; giving me this annoying sarcastic smile and always ready to attack everything I would say, even if I was not talking to her. Naturally, I ended up snapping at her and eventually she stopped. I guess she got tired of all the fighting we had, much to my relief."

"And your relationship with her never got better after that?" Rodrigo asked him.

"Nope and I have no desire for it to improve." Gerald said nonchalantly.

Rodrigo knew that there was more to this story, but he let it pass for now. He was confident that Gerald will tell him more eventually.

To make matters worse, there were times when Rodrigo saw that Helga was just not in a good mood and felt he had to be more careful so as not to ignite her rage. She also had this strange habit of simply disappearing, not being seen by anyone for days at a time.

The first time she disappeared like this, Rodrigo grew concerned, despite the reassurance from everyone else that this is just Helga being Helga.

Undeterred, during their history class he went up to her to ask her, "Hey, haven't seen you in a while, is everything ok? Just a little worried."

"Just peachy, Latino boy." Helga responded back nonchalantly. She then turned to face him and with a smile added, "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."

"OK" said Rodrigo.

Things between Rodrigo and Helga took a serious low turn when during lunch time, as Rodrigo was talking to Rhonda, Helga made a smart remark about his clothes.

"You're the one to talk, Latino Boy. With those clothes that you have, you'll surely be escorted out of this year's fashion event and into the gutter."

"Yes, and with your 'style', you will be joining me, especially with that French wanna-be blue hat that you always wear." said Rodrigo, as he suddenly flickered her blue hat.

Although his flickering was nowhere near strong enough for it to fall off her head, it caused Helga to suddenly jolt from her seat, then furiously grabbed Rodrigo by his shirt, pushed him so close to her face that their noses were practically touching.

"Don't you ever, and I mean, ever touch my hat again, got it buster?!" Helga yelled with a frightened, threatening look on her face.

Rodrigo knew instantly that he just crossed a serious line and for the first time, took her threat seriously. Whatever special significance that hat held for Helga, it was not to be trifled with.

_Make a mental, make a mental note. Never, ever touch her hat again!_ He thought.

"I'm sorry Helga, I did not mean anything by it." Rodrigo said nervously, but still trying to maintain his composure.

Rodrigo expected for Helga to continue yelling and berating him. However to his surprise, Helga just dropped her angry face, let him go, grabbed her stuff and walked away without saying a word.

Incredibly, the rest of their friends looked on, but were not concerned.

"Ya, we forgot to tell you Rodrigo; never touch her blue hat." said Sid, as he continued eating his food.

"I know that now, thanks Sid," said Rodrigo, back with an annoying look on his face.

"You got lucky Rodrigo. The last time someone touched her hat she gave him a black eye." said Harold.

Rodrigo avoided Helga for the rest of that day, even going so far to seat in a different seat in their history class, away from her. It was not because he was afraid of her. Quite the contrary, he was incredibly furious with her and was afraid of him snapping at her. If there was one thing that Rodrigo could not stand, it was when someone threatens him. Unless they were willing to go through with their threat, it was in their safety to not threaten Rodrigo, as he had a tenancy on becoming very aggressive. He only backed down with Helga because he knew that he was at fault.

He left school that day feeling irritated over what happened at lunch time. He felt that things have now gotten worse. As he hopped on the bus, he then got the idea if he should speak with Phoebe on this and see if she can perhaps enlighten him on what he should do.

_That's it! I'll talk to Phoebe. She is Helga's best friend and I am sure she can help me out._ He thought.

The next day Rodrigo went up to Phoebe when he saw her that she was alone at her locker and attempted to ask for her help.

"Hey Phoebe, how are you today?"

"Hi Rodrigo. I am going well, thank you. How about you?"

"Not very well actually, and I was hoping if you can help me out. It's regarding Helga." Rodrigo said.

"Oh? Is it about what happened at lunch yesterday?" She asked him.

"That, and more." Rodrigo responded back.

"Look Pheebs, I'll level with you. I am getting frustrated with Helga. I thought that after the second day of school we would start to be more acquainted and perhaps even become friends. But since I first arrived here, she has been giving me the cold shoulder, whereas everyone has been welcoming. Worse still, I feel that she always attacks me with the way she looks at me and with her smart remarks. It is as if she doesn't want me here. I just want to know if I did or say anything to her that offended her, besides what happened yesterday. Is it about me bumping into her? She can't possibly still be upset about that."

"Well, no Rodrigo. She hasn't said anything to me that would indicate to me that she did not like you." She confirmed.

"Well, can I ask another question? I'm not asking you to spell out any secretive or sensitive information about Helga. It's not my business. But I just want to know if there is anything that I can do on my part that will help. I want to be friends with her, and despite her attitude, I kind of like her enough that I would like to be her friend." Rodrigo continued.

Phoebe listened with a surprising look on her face. This is the first time since Arnold that someone genuinely wanted to be friends with Helga, despite the attitude that she was giving him. But she had no special formula to give him because other than herself and Arnold, no one wants to be friends with Helga. She wanted to help him, not just for his sake, but she also did not want another Gerald scene to develop. Just then, she realized something and thought of an idea.

"Well Rodrigo, the only thing I can tell you is this; Helga is a very guarded person and rarely does she let anyone close. I cannot give you any details, except that she has been through a lot in her life. So with that, it will take time for her to open up." She explained.

Rodrigo did not dare ask what Phoebe meant by 'been through a lot.'

"Also, it would help if you can be trusted, and the way I think you can do that is by being nice to her. Show her that she can trust you." Phoebe continued.

"You mean I will have to work for her trust?" Rodrigo asked, to which Phoebe simply nodded.

"Great! Thank you Phoebe, you helped a lot." Rodrigo said with a smile, but before he left he quickly added, "And can this be between us?"

"Sure Rodrigo." Phoebe confirmed, smiling back.

This was the only advice Phoebe was able to think of. Arnold had always been nice to Helga and it was because of that that she fell in love with him. Although Phoebe did not expect for Helga to fall for Rodrigo, she hoped that this would provide the first steps for Helga to trust him. It worked well with Arnold, so why not with Rodrigo?

Rodrigo left school that day feeling with a sense of hope. He decided to walk home in order to think about how he was going get on Helga's good side.

_So I have to be nice to her in order to get her to trust me? I can do that, but how? Helga does not strike me as someone who can be easily wooed with traditional gestures like opening the door for her, or complimenting her looks. Nah, she is too smart to fall for that. Plus, I also don't want to put a huge effort into this. I want to be friends with Helga, but I am not desperate. So I have to be nice in a way that is genuine, something that Helga will appreciate._

As he continued to ponder, he couldn't help think what Phoebe had meant by Helga having through a lot in her life.

_What did she meant by that? Does Helga have any issues at home, or with a boyfriend? Did something bad happen to her? I hope not._

As he continued to ponder on this, and began to analyze Helga's behavior towards him, something dawned on him.

_What if she kept making those remarks at me so she can get my attention? But, why? Why would she be trying to get my attention, and why in that way? Can't she just talk to me? Was she also doing that to Gerald so as to get his attention because she actually likes us?_

Rodrigo was more convinced about this with his own situation than with Gerald's. He knew that Gerald was omitting certain things about why their relationship took a nose dive, although he did not know if it was by choice or due to ignorance.

Nevertheless, it made sense. He felt that Helga started to be a little more relaxed after they walked home together that day, and he cannot imagine that she would be playing him like that. She does not seem to be that type of person. Plus he also realized that whenever they hanged out, he would be giving the rest of the gang more of his attention than Helga, although that was sometimes because of her attitude.

_That's it! If she looking for me to give her some attention, then perhaps the best way is to just acknowledge her by just saying, 'hello' or 'good morning'. Baby steps._ Rodrigo thought happily. _I will try this out first thing tomorrow._ Then he rushed home.

**Meanwhile with Helga….**

Rodrigo was correct in his assertion that Helga had ambivalent feelings towards him. After some weeks, she still did not know what to make of him, and that made her nervous. She had decided to spend more time hanging out with everyone whenever she could in order to better understand him. However, he would always maintain his mysterious aura around him, which did not alleviate her anxiety. Because he was more of a listener, he did not reveal much about himself to anyone. He would talk, make jokes when needed, but he would usually just listen. There were times when he would not stop talking about a topic, but that was not a common occurrence.

As was her usual defense mechanism when facing stress or nervousness, she would keep her guard up and ensured no one got close to her. Tried as she might to lower her defenses, she was not able to relax around him. Why? She did not like 'like him, but he still made her nervous. Maybe she just did not like meeting new people.

When the hat incident happened, as she was looking straight into his eyes as she was threatening him, she saw the fear he had of her, even some hate. Instantly regretting her action, she let him go and walked away before it escalated. During the rest of their lunch time, Helga pondered about what to do. She knew that she went too far with this. It was not his fault that he flickered her hat. He did not know what it was hiding from everyone. He only did it because she made that rude remark about his clothes. It was her fault, and yet she took it out on him.

By the time history class rolled around, Helga had decided to apologize to him for the way she treated him in front of everyone. However, when Rodrigo entered the room, without so much as even looking at her, he instantly just sat on the nearest empty seat that he found, far away from her.

_Well, I guess he no longer wants to have anything to do with me. Can't blame him, though._ She thought to herself sadly. _Crimeny, why did I blow out at him like that? He seems like a good guy and he has been nothing but nice to me since he came. Nice? Kind of reminds me of Arnold….*sigh*_

Helga took the bus home that day feeling a bit demoralized.

**The next day…**

Rodrigo entered school that morning with a cheerful mood.

_Ok, I must put my plan into action. I just have to make sure that I sound genuine enough, without being overly nice. It is just a simply 'good morning' or 'hello' to her._ He thought.

Helga opened her locker that morning, still feeling the guilt from yesterday's blow out.

"Helga, are you ok? You have been awfully quiet this morning." Phoebe asked her with concern.

"I'm ok Pheebs, just a little under the weather." she responded.

Helga had decided that she will reframe from making any smart remarks or snap at him for at least this week.

_I at least owe him that much._ She thought.

Just then, Rodrigo approached both friends and said, "Morning ladies."

"Good Morning Rodrigo." Phoebe responded.

"um..hey" Helga also responded, feeling surprised.

"Are you ok, Helga?" Rodrigo asked with some concern.

"Hmm? Ya I am, just a little under the weather." She responded back, whiling trying to smile.

"Well, I hope you feel better soon." Rodrigo said, while smiling.

"I'm sure I will." Helga said.

"Ok, well let's get to class then." Rodrigo said.

Helga was a bit surprised that he acknowledged both Phoebe and her. She was even more surprised to find him cheerful, as if yesterday's incident did not happen. However, she had her reservations, afraid that he might be pulling some sort of prank. However, as the week slowly went by, nothing happened. Rodrigo continued to acknowledge her with simple gestures and attempted to make some conversation with her whenever he could during lunch time.

Rodrigo almost instantly saw some small change in Helga's behavior. Throughout that entire week, she started to feel a little more relax around him. She did make some smart remarks at him, though they were at lot less than usual.

_So much for not making any more sarcastic remarks this week at him._ She thought while frowning.

When Friday came, Helga was in one of her foul moods.

When Rodrigo came, he said to her, "Good morning Helga."

"What's so good about this morning?" She retorted back him.

Undeterred, Rodrigo responded while trying to sound sincere, "Well, that is up to you to decide what is good about today, Helga."

"And what if there is nothing good about today?" Helga said, almost snapping at him.

"Then you should to talk someone if you are feeling a little down. You should talk more, Helga. It's actually nice to talk to you." Rodrigo responded back with a smile.

Not wanting to get into any arguments with her, he then walked away from her.

**Later that same day...**

Rodrigo arrived at home in a happy mood. It is now Friday and he had the whole weekend to himself. As soon as he entered the house, he found his father waiting for him to tell him some news from back home.

"Hola papa, ¿como etas?" (Hi dad, how are you?) Rodrigo asked.

"Bien, hijo. Escuhame, tengo noticies. Tu abuela me llamó y confirmo que va a venir a visiternos por una semana." (Good, son. Listen to me, I have news. Your grandmother just called me and confirmed that she will be visiting us for a week) his father responded.

At that moment, Rodrigo felt a serious twist to his stomach and felt like vomiting. Why was his grandmother coming to visit them?

"¿Por qué?" (Why?) Rodrigo asked, in an almost rude tone.

Ignoring his son's tone, he responded, "Porque quiere ver la nueva casa y ella nos extraña." (Because she wants to see the new house and she misses us.)

"Ella te extraña a ustedes, pero no a mi." (She miss you guys, but not me) Rodrigo said, trying not to choke.

Realizing how upset he was at the moment, his father bent down and calmly said to him, "Mi hijo, yo se que ustedes no se van bien, pero ojala que sabés que ella te quiere mucho, y ella es familia, como tu tambian eres familia. Intenta que ella te entiende" (My son, I know that you two do not get along, but I hope that you know that she loves you very much and she is family, just like how you are family. Try to make her understand)

"Ok papa ¿Cuando viene?" (Ok papa. When does she arrive?) was all Rodrigo could say back.

"La próxima fin de semana." (Next weekend.) his father responded.

_Well, so much for my weekend._ He thought.

When school started again, Rodrigo attempted to get on with his week as normally as possible. For the first two days, it went ok. However by mid week, he started to fall into despair. He became more quiet and less engaging. His friends would ask him if he was ok, to which he would reassure then that he was. However, by Friday, his condition deteriorated. He avoided everyone on that day, refusing to even have lunch with his friends. He became so stressed out over this that he started to develop acne on his face.

His strange behavior was not lost to Helga during that week. He even stopped saying hi to her and did not acknowledge her when she was there, much less anyone else.

_why is he acting so strange all of a sudden? Is he ok?_ She thought.

When Friday lunch came, Helga was walking down the hallway when she noticed Rodrigo sitting on a bench alone, listening to music while he was bent down with his hands covering his face.

By this point, Rodrigo was on the verge of tears. His grandmother visiting him was taking a toll on him. He wanted to talk to someone about it, but just like Helga, he did not like talking about his problems. To make matters worse, Rodrigo had a secret that he did not wish to reveal to anyone. The last time he did, his relationship with his grandmother was destroyed.

_What am I going to do? I can't face my grandmother. Why is she coming? She doesn't love me._ He thought.

Just then, Helga approached him and gently tapped his foot with hers. A bit startled, he lifted his head to find Helga staring down at him, out of all people.

_What is she doing here?_ He thought to himself.

"Hey" Rodrigo said.

"Hey. Are you ok?" Helga asked him.

Rodrigo just bent his head downward again to face the floor and said, "Just fine Helga, thanks."

"You are a terrible liar, you know that?" Helga said.

_Oh my god! If she is going to pull another smart, sarcastic remark on me, out of all the days, I swear I am going to explode! I do not need this right now!_ He though frustratingly.

Before he had time to say anything, Helga sat on the same bench next to him and said to him calmly but sheepishly,

"I know that I am the last person that you want to talk to right now. It's none of my business, but if you need someone to talk to then...I am here to listen."

Rodrigo was completely taken aback. He never would have expected Helga to offer her help. He didn't think she was cold, he just...didn't expect it.

It's true, she was last person he wanted to talk to right now, especially about this sensitive topic. But with no other options left, and him on the verge of exploding, he decided to tell her. Besides, this is a golden opportunity for her to trust him.

"My grandmother is coming to visit me this weekend. " Rodrigo began to explain.

When Helga said nothing, he took this as his cue to continue.

"My grandmother and I used to be very close. I used to tell her everything; there were no secrets between us. I used to help her cook back home and we used to laugh a lot. She was almost like a second mom to me. But we are now very distant...and she hates me."

"Why?" Helga asked.

"Because I am an atheist." Rodrigo responded back. Before Helga could say anything, Rodrigo continued,

"You may think being an atheist is not really a big deal. In this country, it may not be, but back home, it is a very big deal. Religion still plays a strong role in my country, especially in my family. I was almost the perfect child back home. I used to always help around the house, I used to go to church every Sunday. Everyone was so proud of me. I even became an alter-boy. But then we immigrated here and my father, as well as the schools, exposed me to many new philosophical and psychological texts that he read when he was in university and what I found at the library and I soaked all that knowledge like a sponge. Slowly I began to question my faith, then critique it, until I eventually left it."

"When I told my parents, they were not particularly happy about it, but they accepted it, albeit reluctantly. But when I told my grandmother, things took a nose dive. She told me that I had lost my way and I need to go back to the one true path. I countered her arguments. I was also able to counter the priest's arguments, much to their frustration. It's funny actually. People will think that you are smart when you have the same viewpoints as they do, but when you have contrary viewpoints, they will think you are either arrogant or ignorant. That is kind of what happened. People thought that I was being arrogant when I told them how bad their reasons were. I wasn't criticizing their religion; it was way more personal. I was criticizing their reasons for believing in their religion. Well eventually, she said she no longer wanted to have anything to do with me. Worse still, my parents also became a target. My extended family criticized my parents' parental skills, said that they were bad parents for not raising me properly and that if they were back home, they would have taken me away from them. As a result, because of me, my entire family became outcasts."

"I even became somewhat of an outcast here. Back in L.A., I lost some of my friends when I told them that I was now an atheist. I am not sure why they got upset with me over that. I am still the same person as I was before, I just now no longer believe in God. That's also kind of why we moved here. There were other reasons, but it was also I was starting to get into arguments with some of my friends' parents. The same parents also criticized my parents' parental skills; they thought that I was a bad influence on their kids."

"So now my grandmother is visiting us and I have no idea why. She is one of the few family members that still keeps in contact with my parents. The rest want nothing more to do with us. I get to be with her all week as she looks at me with contempt. So, there you have it, story of my life. I now had to live with this guilt of what I put my parents through and I have no one who understand me, understand what it feels like to be ostracized. I just feel...alone." Rodrigo finished sadly.

Helga did not know what to say. Not coming from a religious family herself, nor even from a stable family, she did not know what it was like to be thrown out from your community because of you had different viewpoints. However, she does know what it is like to feel unwanted, to feel like an outcast...

"I'm sorry to hear that Rodrigo" she said.

Helga then closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then released it...

_I hate talking about this._ She thought, before she began to tell her story...

"I am not close with my family at all. They don't really acknowledge that I even exist."

Rodrigo then just looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"My father is a workaholic. He owns his own business and has dedicated much of time in that place. As a result, we're good financially, but he is never there and whenever he is home, he just focuses more on his business or is busy watching TV, while never really noticing me. His entire focus is on the material; money, cars, authority, never on the emotional. No matter how many times I would attempt to talk to him, he would always ignore me or tell me to solve my own problems. Eventually I just stopped talking to him. My mom is..was an alcoholic. She is currently attending meetings to help her recover. But before she sought help, she would spend her time drinking and sleeping, not knowing what else to do with herself. She always seemed to be...bored really, as if taking care of me was not a priority. There were days when I would go to school either hungry or making my own lunch because my own mother would forget to make it. I have an older sister, but she too often does not acknowledge what I go through, even when I actually tell her about it. She ignores the problems that we have in our family and pretends that everything is perfect."

"Worse still, my parents' expectation is always for me to achieve what my older sister achieved; to be an exact replica of her. They would always compare me with her and nothing that I achieve or do is anything good. They would always remind me that I have to always be like her, that I have to think like her. Whatever I think or whatever I want to do is irrelevant, if nonexistent. I had to fend of myself at an early age. I would make my own lunch, do my own laundry, take myself to school and even do my own homework. Without a choice, I had to become independent."

"As a consequence, I became an angry person.. or rather, I am still an angry person. I would take out my frustration and anger out on anyone really. That was the only thing I can control; to ensure that no one messed with me. It was bad enough that I was a joke in my own house; I was not going to tolerate it with others." Helga concluded with a sad facial feature.

Rodrigo just stood there, completely stunned that Helga had just revealed something so personal, so deep about herself. As far as he was concerned, this was a major breakthrough in their relationship and any other time, he would have been extremely happy about it. He then thought about Gerald and everyone else and how they always seem to be unconcerned, if not distant with Helga. Gerald especially never revealed any sympathetic notions towards her. He then thought of something to ask her...

"Does anyone else know about this, Helga?" he asked her.

"Only Phoebe knows." she responded back. _And Arnold..._she thought.

"But why did you never tell the rest of them about any of this? I am sure they would understand and not consider you, or your situation as a joke." Rodrigo asked.

"I never really trusted them, even now. I know things have changed and they are more mature, but I generally do not trust people. Plus, I guess it is also out of habit that I never told them; it just became like this." Helga explained.

"Why did you tell me?" he asked.

"I guess it is because you would understand how it feels; to be alone and not feel wanted. That, and you are more mature than the rest of them." Helga explained with a smile.

To say that Rodrigo was flattered that Helga trusted him enough to tell her story was an understatement. He was humbled by it, if not privileged. He had not expected for Helga to be this forward with him so soon. He thought it was going to take baby steps before Helga would trust him. And although he couldn't help but feel a little guilty that Helga did not consider their friends trustworthy enough, he did not hesitate to use this opportunity.

"Thanks Helga for telling me. I know it must have been hard for you to tell me this, but I really appreciate it. And I will not tell anyone else about this. It is your story to tell." Rodrigo said.

After some silence, Helga then said, "I'm..sorry for blowing out at you yesterday over my hat. It holds a special importance to me, which is why I kind of freaked out when you touched it."

"It's ok, I'm sorry too, for flickering it." Rodrigo responded back.

Just then the bell rang, bringing their lunch time to an end.

"Well, I guess we should go to our history class." Rodrigo said.

"Ya, we don't want to be late." Helga responded back.

After school ended, Rodrigo decided to walk home that day, while everyone else took the bus, attempting to delay the inevitable, as well as pondering about his atheism.

Ironically, despite him being an atheist, he was not a typical one. Unlike some his atheist contemporaries, he does not ridicule religion and its teachings as pure nonsense. Quite the contrary, he is fully aware of its emotional and psychological impact it has on people. It once provided not just a way of explaining things, but also provide a sense of comfort. It gave people hope, hope to live, hope to strive through this dark, often miserable, meaningless life. It gave people a sense of purpose and for that, Rodrigo has deep respect for religion.

In addition, he does not solely blame religion for much of the controversy it has been blamed for. As far as he was concerned, the people practicing their faiths are just as responsibilities for their actions and the actions of their faiths as those in authority. He does not consider those humble worshipers as mere victims. Rather, he holds them personal responsible for any action they do or take, whether good or bad. This holds even more so with his grandmother's treatment of him. She chose to act hostile towards him. She failed to see that despite him leaving the faith, he was still the same grandchild that she raised; loving, caring, morally strong, and intelligent. Apparently that was not good enough for her.

As he continued to walk, he also thought about Helga's situation and kept on wondering why she has such a huge problem in trusting people, especially their friends.

_What did our friends do or say to her when they were kids? Were they mean to her?_ He thought.

He wanted to know these things and attempt to fix it. He wanted to help and he knows that eventually Helga and the rest will come clean about this. However, it will take time. For now, he now had other things to worry about at this moment.

Despite it being early October, the weather was still a little warm, with a cool light breeze sometimes passing by. The breeze would sometimes collect some the dead leaves from the trees and causing them to twirling around, almost as if they were dancing. Yet whenever that breeze touched Rodrigo's skin, it felt like ice, causing him to shiver. He had been so nervous about his grandmother's arrival that his hands were now freezing, despite wearing a sweater. As far as he was concerned, winter was not coming; it had arrived.

_...well, that was my major breakthrough, Arnoldo: Someone else now knows about my...predicament. I'm sure that if you were here, you would tell me how proud you are of me, blah blah blah. I'm still not sure why I told Rodrigo. I guess maybe that he told me first about what was bothering him today, which I assume was something personal, since he did not share it with anyone. And I guess since he trusted me with it, I also gained some confidence that he can be trusted too._

_I hope all is good on your end and I hope you get a chance to us sometime soon. We miss you...I miss you._

_Yours truly,_

_Helga G. Pataki_

Once Helga completed her letter, she carefully put it insider her binder, then carried it to her closet. After she brushed her teeth, she then turned the light off and drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5 - Eugene's Savior

**Hi Everyone! So in this chapter, I want to continue to focus on revealing more about Rodrigo's personality and his interaction with everyone in the group. And what better ways to do that then to have him interact with Eugene Horowitz?**

The week during Rodrigo's grandmother visit was an emotional train wreck, to say the least. On the day of her arrival, she greeted everyone with a smile, including Paula, Rodrigo's younger sister. She also greeted Rodrigo, but she viewed him with some contempt, which was not lost him.

During that week, he tried his best to continue with his life; went to school, did his homework and helped around the house. In order to avoid any questions from his friends, he attempted to act as normally as possible. Only Helga knew of his situation and she would sometimes privately ask him about it.

This was only positive thing that came from his grandmother's visit: it had pushed Helga and him to spend a bit more time together. At one point, taking a little advantage of her concern for him, he asked her if they could walk home together on that day, stating that he was in no hurry to go home and he would like some company. To his surprise and excitement, she accepted it and they walked together that day.

"Have you ever attempted to explain to your grandmother about how you see things?" she asked him as they were walking home.

"I tried, but she can be just as stubborn as I am. Plus, she is not an educated person and took any explanation that was I was attempting to give as an attack and show of disrespect for her. Back home, you did not question your elder's authority. Studying philosophy unfortunately encouraged me to do that, especially when some of the my family member's reasoning did not make sense to me." he explained.

"Thanks for the company Helga. I really appreciate it." he added.

"Ya well don't get too comfy Latino Boy. I may not be so nice next time." she said with a smirk.

"Sure, whatever you say Helga." he responded back with a smile.

During their walk, they continued talking his predicament. However, it soon dawned on Rodrigo that Helga only seemed willing to discuss things that concerned him or his interests. Whenever he inquired or asked about any of her interests or concerns, unless they were non-significant, she would always dodge the questions or somehow managed to bring it back to him. However, he did not ponder about that for long. He was just glad that she was more relax around him and was at least talking to him. Baby steps.

The tension around the house between Rodrigo and his grandmother remained high throughout her visit. Just as Helga had done to him previously, his grandmother would sometimes make certain remarks against him, constantly reminding him on why he failed as a person, while giving him a contempt look.

At first, Rodrigo tried to ignore it or simply walked away. However, three days into her visit, at dinner, he eventually exploded when his grandmother wanted to offer prayer, but Rodrigo refused to participate.

"Eres un niño malcreado y averguenzas esta familia." (You are a bad child and you shame this family.) his grandmother said to him.

"¿Como? ¿Porque no quiero orar a un Dios que no existé? Porque yo rehusó a involucrarme en una mentalidad que ya no sirvé?" (How? Because I don't want to pray to a God that does not exist? Because I refuse to participate in a mentality that no longer serves any purpose?) Rodrigo responded back.

"Porque eres arrogante! Tu eres un adolecente, no mas, y tu piensas que eres mas sabio que nosotros? Mas de Jesus, nuestro Cristo? (Because you are arrogant! You are only an adolescent and you think that you more wiser than us? More than Jesus, our Christ?) his grandmother responded back.

"Si, exacto! Porque mientras tu simplemente sigues lo que ten dice, yo estudie, ambos la Biblia y libros secular! Yo no voy a siguir simplement porque usted me dice que sabes mas que yo. Usted no eres mas sabio que yo! Tu eres nada mas que una campesina!" (Yes, exactly! Because while you simply follow what they tell you, I studied both the Bible and secular books! I'm not going to simple follow just because you tell me that you know more than me. You are not wiser than me! You are nothing more than a peasant!) Rodrigo yelled back, after which he got up and went to his room.

Realizing how much the visit was upsetting his son, Rodrigo's father eventually confronted his mother and stated that it was probably best if she left early. She reluctantly agreed. The next day, the father drove her to the airport. Rodrigo never bothered to wish her a happy trip.

The week after, Rodrigo bounced back to his old self and was determined to continue his life to the fullest, much to Helga's surprise. Just days ago, he was in serious despair and overwhelmingly stressed out. Now, he was acting normally, as if the whole visit never happened. Helga pondered on this and wondered how he was able to easily shift his mood from one extreme to another so quickly.

_What is his secret?_ She thought.

One day, Rodrigo heard that Eugene needed help setting up the stage for his play that he was directing. Rodrigo gladly offered his help in building the set. Rodrigo was passionate about theatre. As a kid, his parents or school would sometimes take him to the theatre. He always loved the performance, the ability of the actors to act out on some of the deepest of human emotions. He had actually tried out for one of the roles at his new school, but unfortunately did not make the cut. He was not upset about it, as he knew there would be another opportunity next semester.

One day, after finishing in setting up the last of the pieces for the display, he saw Eugene sitting at the front of the stage and went up to him,

"Hey Eugene, I finished the display here. I hope it's to your liking for your play." he said to Eugene.

"Oh gosh, its marvelous Rodrigo! Thank you! It's perfect for my play." Eugene exclaimed

"Not a problem, happy to have helped out."

As they continued talking, Rodrigo noticed that Eugene kept eyeing two pretty girls that were sitting almost at the front of the theatre, to which Rodrigo remarked,

"Those two are pretty aren't they?"

"Hmm? Oh them ya they are" Eugene said with a nervous laugh.

Just then, the two girls got up and walked way. However, Rodrigo noticed that neither Eugene's head, nor his eyes followed the two girls. He continued looking straight at the theatre, where a cute guy was also sitting. It then dawned on Rodrigo...

_Oh! He's gay! Whoa, I did not see that coming, hahahaha_. Rodrigo thought to himself.

Noticing that Eugene was eying the guy hard, with almost a love struck look to his smile, Rodrigo then asked him,

"He's a cute, isn't he?"

"*sigh* Ya, he is...wait what?" Eugene said, now looking rather afraid.

"It's ok Eugene, no worries. I know you were looking at that guy and I'm cool with it." Rodrigo tried to explain.

"Huh? oh no no, you got it all wrong Rodrigo, I'm not gay. I like girls and only girls hehehehe." Eugene said, attempting to sound as authentic as possible, but Rodrigo saw right through it.

"Listen, I'll tell you a little secret. I am actually a little ashamed to admit it, but I think it is important. I used to be homophobic." Rodrigo confessed.

"Huh? You were?" Eugene asked, completely surprised.

"Yes. You see, growing up in a traditional household that emphasized strict male and female gender/sex roles, it's not surprising that when I first encountered a gay person, I was hostile towards him. However, as time went on, I began to suspect that the reason why I was so hostile towards gays and transgendered people was not because there was something 'wrong' with them. Rather, I suspected that there was something 'wrong' with my way of thinking; it was very narrow minded. After educating myself vigorously on the nature of homosexuality, I realized that the only way to accept them was to associate myself with them, by talking to them and seeing them as any other person. Admittedly, I initially had to force himself to do this, but after a while, it became natural and eventually I completely accepted them. Haha, as a running gag, I like to often compare myself with Saint Paul from the Bible. Just as Paul was once a persecutor of Christians, I was once a persecutor of gays. And now, just like Paul, I am now one of the gay community's biggest supporters." Rodrigo explained. "But I am not gay. I just support you guys to live happily without fear."

"Wow. I'm shocked that you spoke so truthfully about you were once homophobic. Not everyone is willing to admit that." Eugene said.

"Accepting people who are different than you when you first encounter them is not easy. Quite the contrary, it is quite difficult. We are biologically programmed to find anything that counters our traditional way of thinking with suspicion, if not with contempt." Rodrigo explained.

"I see. Well, don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Eugene assured him.

"What? Oh I'm not worried about that. Actually, I would prefer if you tell people about this, including our friends. They have to know; they should know. It is a little shameful, but I'm not adamant in keeping it a secret. On the contrary, I consider this change in attitude as one of my biggest success." Rodrigo said to him while smiling.

"How long have you known that you were gay?" Rodrigo asked.

"Almost all my life really." Eugene responded back.

"Does anyone else know?" Rodrigo asked.

"Ya, all of our friends know. Sheena was the first person that I told. Initially she seemed a little upset because I think she liked me, but she had no problem accepting it, and we reconciled. I never really went up to our friends and said, 'Hey I'm gay!'. It was a gradual process, which they eventually figured it out."

"How come?"

"I guess it's because it is still not very safe for gays to come out. I know people are more open about it now, but I did not know if my friends would accept it. Plus I did not want to make it a big deal. I should be able to live my life as normally as anyone else and I think having this 'coming out party' is just patronizing the whole thing." Eugene explained.

_Well that's good that our friends are accepting. I would have hated it if one of our friends had a problem with this. I would have to have had a 'talk' with them_. Rodrigo thought.

"Now, are you going to talk to that guy or do I need to bring him over to you?" Rodrigo asked.

"No no. I'll talk to him. It is just that... it is still hard to come out as gay. People still discriminate against us." Eugene said.

"I know. But you are not doing yourself any favours by hiding away. On the contrary you are doing harm to yourself and to the very people you are hiding from. They need to see you. They need to recognize that you exist as well and that you are here to stay." Rodrigo said.

"Besides, if anyone is bothering you because of it, tell me ok? I would like to help." Rodrigo offered as he extended his hand.

Eugene shook his hand and said, "Thanks a lot Rodrigo. Really, it is nice to find someone who is accepting of people." Eugene said with a smile.

**The next day...**

When lunch time came, Rodrigo came to lunch room and saw everyone in their usual spot. As Rodrigo approached them, he saw Eugene there, who looked hurt. Rodrigo was already told that Eugene is a clumsy person, which is why he decided to help Eugene in setting up the display for the play in the first place. As he continued walking towards the table, he started to prepare to tell a few jokes at Eugene's expense. However, as he moved closer, he realized that Eugene looked hurt...very hurt. He had a black eye and some bruises on his arms and legs.

"Hey guys. Eugene, are you ok?" Rodrigo asked.

"Um I'm ok, I guess. I got into a fight with some of the older graders. They saw me earlier with that guy I was eyeing at the theatre yesterday and beat me up." Eugene explained.

"Apparently, you encouraged him to be open about his sexuality." Helga said with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

Rodrigo remained silent and looked Eugene, completely horrified at how hurt he was.

"I was only trying to help him out. I did not realize that they would hurt him like this." Rodrigo attempted to explain.

"Well clearly that did not work, doofus. Look at him! What were you thinking in telling him to come out?" Hegla asked him.

Rodrigo said nothing, looking visibly distressed and upset about the damage that he just caused.

"Helga, it's ok. Rodrigo was only trying to help and besides, it is not his fault. It was those 12 graders that did this to him. Eugene should not have to hide for who he is from anyone." Lila said.

Still Rodrigo said nothing. If anything, he was trying to restrain himself from exploding in anger.

**The next day...**

Rodrigo spend the rest of the day trying to find a way to make it up to Eugene and to find the people that did this to him.

_I do not care who those guys are, I'm going to make them pay. They made their choice to do this, so now I'm going to make mine._ He thought to himself angrily.

Throughout the morning, Rodrigo attempted to speak with several students about the fight, to see if they knew anything. Unfortunately, none had any information on who these 12 graders were. That, or they intentionally refused to give such information to him.

when lunch time came, Rodrigo went to their usual spot but realized that Eugene was not with them.

"Hey guys...umm where is Eugene?" Rodrigo asked.

"We're not sure. He was suppose to meet up with us today. I guess he got stuck making final preparations for his play." Gerald responded back.

Rodrigo then started getting a bad feeling about this, and asked Gerald,

"Gerald, call Eugene right now and find out where he is and if he is ok."

"Why?" Gerald asked.

"Just do it please, ok?!" Rodrigo asked with a raised voice.

"*sigh*fine"

Gerald attempted to call Eugene several times on his cell phone but he never answered.

Rodrigo then went completely white and feared the worst.

"Eugene's in trouble. We have to find him, now!" Rodrigo cried out.

Without warning, he ran right outside from the lunchroom so fast that his fedora hat fell from his head without even realizing it. The school was big and he did not know where Eugene was. He tried to find him at the theatre, but he was not there. One of the light technicians said that he saw him earlier and was going to his locker. With that piece of information, Rodrigo quickly ran out again, while the rest of his friends were trying to keep up with him.

_Please be ok, please be ok. Please don't let him be hurt. He did not do anything wrong!_ Rodrigo cried out in his thoughts.

Just then, he saw Eugene in his locker. However, he also saw four other older guys surrounding him, with one of them trying to take a swing at him, but Eugene kept dodging him. Losing no time, Rodrigo simply ran faster, hoping to get there in time before that guy grabbed Eugene.

After a few missed swings, the guy finally grabbed Eugene, shoved him straight towards the locker and was about to take a good swing to his face, before Rodrigo pushed him away so hard that he fell completely to the floor, hitting his head hard on the floor.

"Stay away from him! Don't you ever touch him again!" Rodrigo cried out in anger.

"This isn't any of your business! It's between us and this queer!" One of the 12 graders said, who then looked at Eugene and asked him with a smirk, "Is he your boyfriend?"

"He is my friend." Rodrigo said to him with a deadly voice. "I'm going to give you this one chance to apologize to him for what you did to him. If not, I swear to you, you will never walk again." And he put himself between Eugene and them.

Just then the rest of his friends reached him. The girls went up to Eugene to take out of the area and attend to him. The guys however, did not initially attempt to support Rodrigo and remained in the sidelines. Rodrigo was on his own.

Rodrigo was a short person, barely reaching the girls in height. Gerald, Sid, Harold and Stinky were all relatively taller than him. The 12 graders were even more taller, but he didn't care. He was itching for a fight.

Realizing that his male friends were not supporting him, one of the guys said, "We'll make _you_ apologize for what you did to our friend; and for supporting this queer."

"Bring it on you filthy, low piece of human trash! You don't deserve to live!" Rodrigo cried out with a fury.

Just as the 12 graders were about to make their move, to their surprise they saw Helga getting up beside Rodrigo and yelled at them,

"Listen you three stooges, apologize to Eugene right now, or you are going to face old Betsy here!" as she cracked her knuckles. She then looked at one of them and said with a grin, "That goes for you too Roger! Unless you want another punch to the stomach...again."

Before her intervention, Helga looked on in shock as Rodrigo was standing alone, ready to face three guys taller than him. Admittedly, she was also a little scared of him at the moment, as she never seen him or anyone become that aggressive so quickly. She could see just how furious he was at them. She knew that he was ready to spill blood. She then thought that is how some people must have felt towards her whenever she acted aggressively or threatened them. It was...not a nice feeling. Whether it was by his passion to defend his friends, or just how hurt Eugene was, Helga got up to support him, as she was not the type of person to back down from a fight.

Rodrigo was glad that Helga, or anyone was supporting him.

_Sheesh, good thing she is on my side. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of her fists._ He thought

Yet, despite the reinforcement, the 12 graders were not deterred and proceeded with their attack.

Just then, Gerald and all the guys came up beside Rodrigo and Helga, much to Rodrigo's delight. However, he was quickly dismayed when Gerald then spoke to Roger and said,

"Roger, enough man! Back away and leave; We'll do the same. Your friend is hurt and he needs to see the nurse."

the 12 graders initially did not move, but after seeing that they were now outnumbered, they relented and slowly started to give ground to attend to their friend, who was still lying on the floor.

Rodrigo was in complete shock that Gerald had allowed them to leave unscathed. He was now furious at him!

Once the 12 graders left, the rest of the gang helped Eugene up and started to leave as well, leaving Rodrigo standing alone, still in shock. Helga had to grab him by the arm and pull him to get him to move.

"Rodrigo, come on, let's go." Helga said. Rodrigo reluctantly agreed and left with them.

During their history class neither Rodrigo, nor Helga spoke to each other. Rodrigo was still reeling that those 12 graders were allowed to leave without so much as a scratch on them. Helga could see that Rodrigo had still not calmed down and wisely decided to leave him alone.

_Maybe I should talk to him later after school_. She thought.

_Why did he do that? Why did he allow them to leave like that after what they did to Eugene?! I have to talk to Gerald and get him to explain._ Rodrigo thought bitterly.

After class ended, Rodrigo went outside and saw everyone huddling together, waiting for the bus to arrive and take them home. Rodrigo walked up to them and without even saying hi to anyone, he quickly went to up to Gerald and bluntly asked him,

"Why did you let them go? Why didn't you make them pay?"

"Because violence does not solve anything, Rodrigo. Look at what it did to Eugene." Gerald responded back.

"On the contrary. Violence, if used correctly, can actually solve things. Those 12 graders made their choice to not only be homophobic, but also to beat Eugene up. It was their choice and any decision comes with its consequences." Rodrigo retorted back.

"Those idiots were using violence only to continue living in an outdated fantasy because they do not want to face the new reality; that gay people exist and it is not a choice to be one." Rodrigo continued, while trying to remain calm.

"As you said, because they are 'idiots', they were not worth the trouble. We are not going to use violence every time to solve our problems. Violence begets violence." Gerald responded back. "I mean, if we did that, then we would have beaten Helga a long time ago." Gerald continued while smiling, trying to make a point but also trying to lighten the mood. Helga just scowled at him for that remark, but Rodrigo was having none of it.

"Yes, they are not worth it. But because they live with in this society with us, they are a continuous threat unless they are either eliminated or reformed. They are not simply going to go away without a fight."

"Look, we need to solve our differences without violence; it ends up hurting people. We have leaders like Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. to look up to for guidance." Gerald said.

Rodrigo then started smiling at Gerald after he made that remark.

_I got him. He won't be past my argument._ He thought happily. "Those leaders that you just mentioned were just as violent. Do you actually think they would have done what they did, if they had not thought of that fact that their leadership and influence were going to get people killed? Do you think they were that naive? No, they knew very well that in order to change society, people had to die as a consequence. It authenticates the struggle. They are just as guilty for the deaths that occurred both in India and in the Southern U.S. as much as those that pulled the trigger in order to oppose them. If they really did not want to get people killed, they would have stayed home."

"The only thing that differentiates them from dictators such as Adolf Hitler or Saddam Hussein, is why they killed people. Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. wanted to completely change their societies, to change how people interacted with each other and establish a new social order. Whereas, Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein merely killed people just to so they can maintain things the way they are. " Rodrigo explained, to the shock of everyone else.

"You are right about one thing: if violence begets violence, then it is useless. The whole point of violence is not to kill people; it is to change society, to change the entire social structure and if violence can achieve that, then it is divine violence, a justified violence." he continued.

For a second, Gerald was stunned, unable to speak. Never had he heard anyone speak of both non-violent leaders in this new way. It was actually scary. However, he quickly regained his posture and countered,

"That may be so, but then look at what happened in France during the French Revolution, or in the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin. Look, I'm not a major in history, but if I remember correctly, the terrors that both revolutions unleashed against the populace was terrible. Not only were the opponents killed, but many good, innocent people that actually supported the revolutions were also killed. That is the problem with violence; once you release it, it becomes difficult, if not impossible to control. It consumes everything and everyone. And in the end, what happened to the Soviet Union? It collapsed. So what was it all for?"

Now it was Rodrigo's turn remain speechless.

_Hmm, first time someone countered that argument._ He thought.

In the years after their San Lorenzo adventure, by virtue of his close friendship with Arnold and in later dating Phoebe, Gerald had matured considerably. He slowly developed some of Arnold's observant trait, as well as some of Phoebe's analytical skills. This proved crucial for him and the group, especially after Arnold left Hillwood. Without Arnold, Gerald now felt compelled to be the new person that their friends came to for assistance or if they got themselves in a particular situation that they needed some advice.

While a radical himself, Rodrigo was no friend to the so-called communist systems that sprang out in the 20th Century. If anything, he was one the few that openly criticizes the horrors that such governments inflicted upon the populace and despite it all, it collapsed anyways. He does not necessarily blame the theory of communism, just in the way it was carried out. As far as he was concerned, it was a catastrophic failure and he was not willing to defend it.

No longer wishing to further argue with this, Gerald walked up closer to him, put his hand on Rodrigo's shoulder and said, "Look man, I understand what you are trying to say. If anything, I commend you for it. Don't think that I am not also upset about what they did to Eugene. Remember, he is my friend too. All I am saying is that I do not wish for us to lower ourselves like them. We are better than them, so let us show them just how better we are."

If he had wanted to, Rodrigo could have continued on with this debate. However, he took the hint and decided against it. Besides, he had already revealed too much about some of his thoughts and he did not want to scare them away. The last thing he needed was to be ostracized again.

"Alright Gerald. I'm sorry if I came across too strong. I did not mean to question your friendship with Eugene." Rodrigo said.

Gerald simply smiled and said, "You know, you kind of remind me of my main man, Arnold: helpful and caring. Only you are more passionate and assertive than he was when it came to these things."

Helga nearly choked on the water that she was drinking when Gerald said her beloved's name.

_Who? I don't who this guy is, but I do not like to be compared to anyone. I am my own person._ Rodrigo thought.

"Thanks but umm, who's Arnold?" he asked.

Everyone became surprised when Rodrigo asked that, but then it quickly dawned on them that they never actually spoke about Arnold to him.

"Oh man, we never told you about him? He is our closest friend, the wisest of the bunch really. He moved away from Hillwood a little more than two years ago. We need to have a talk, but umm the bus is here now so let's get on." Gerald said.

"You guys go. I'm going to walk home today and just clear my head. Eugene, I'm sorry I did not ask before, but how are you feeling?" Rodrigo asked.

"I'm ok, thanks to you Rodrigo. These bruises will heal, and don't feel bad about what happened. It's not your fault and you were right, I shouldn't be afraid to be who I am in public." Eugene said with a smile.

With that Rodrigo said his goodbyes and started walking home.

As everyone else was getting on the bus, Helga hesitated and at the last moment, decided to walk home with Rodrigo.

"Pheebs, I'm going to walk home with Rodrigo. You ok if you take the bus without me?" Helga asked.

"Um, sure Helga that's alright. See you tomorrow." Phoebe confirmed back.

"See ya."

Helga then jogged to catch up to Rodrigo and when she did, she tapped him on his shoulder while they both continued walking,

"What's your problem?" Helga bluntly asked him.

"Huh?"

"You heard me. You freaked out on us by getting all aggressive like that, and wanting to get into a fight with three guys that were taller than you. You freaked me out. So, what's your problem?" Helga asked again.

_I freaked her out? Did I scare her or was she concerned about me?_ Rodrigo thought.

"Nothing, I just didn't want them hurting anyone else. I'm sorry, but I lost it when I saw what they did to Eugene only because he was gay. I didn't mean to freak out like that. I just don't like it when people hurt others simply because they are different. Honestly I just wanted to help, but I guess I took it too far." Rodrigo explained.

_Gerald was right. He does sound a lot like Arnold. He has that desire to help people, only he has more of that passion, like I do._ Helga thought.

"Well doi doofus, next time don't just run out on us like that. We were barely able to catch up to you. You run fast for a short guy." Helga said while smiling.

"I'll keep that in mind, and thanks for supporting me back there." Rodrigo said.

Helga continued to smile at him, but then she quickly remembered something,

"Oh I almost forgot. You dropped your hat back at the lunchroom."

Rodrigo was so involved with Eugene's safety that he had completely forgotten about his fedora hat.

"Oh my god thank you! I would have been very upset if I lost it." Rodrigo said. He was so happy about it that he, without thinking, went up to Helga and gave her a big hug.

Helga was stunned for a moment but before she could react, Rodrigo then let her go. Despite her not being a touchy person, she felt her heart skipped a beat and felt that she kind of liked the hug he gave her. The only other person that would have caused her to react more like that was Arnold. However with football head, she would have either fainted or completely fallen into a romantic trance, which is why she often had to aggressively push him away before any of that happened.

"Umm..sure no problem, Latino boy." She said rather nervously. She then asked him,

"Why would you have been upset if you lost it?"

"Well, like your blue hat, my fedora hat holds a special significance to me." Rodrigo explained. "My grandfather used to own a hat like this one. I used to always take it away from him, because I wanted to be just like him. He was a very wise person, and my dad always spoke highly of him. Sometime after he died, I went to a hat shop and I came across this hat that looked exactly like his, so I bought it as a reminder of him. Plus it's a pretty slick hat and I love the style."

"Well, good thing I held it for you then." Helga said.

Rodrigo just smiled.

After a short silence, he then asked her,

"So, who is this Arnold guy that Gerald spoke about?"

Helga gulped and grew nervous at the question. Should she tell him? How much information should she give him? Then she thought, what better person to tell him about Arnold than her? She knows more about him, what they went through, than anyone else, including Gerald.

"It's kind of a long story." she said.

"We have time." Rodrigo said back, while smiling.

"Ok"

_...Well Arnoldo, you are now officially known to Rodrigo Castile. While we were walking home today, I told him everything about you and how we came to be together. I told him how we met at pre-school, without telling them the sad story of how I even got there, how I used to be mean to you and would always pick on you, some of our adventures as kids, including our trip to San Lorenzo to find your parents. Obviously, I omitted certain things, such as our relationship status, my unfathomed, if not obsessive, dying love for you, and other things that you already know about me. I couldn't tell him everything about me. He took it quite well actually, although he went a little quiet when I spoke to him about me bullying you in order to hide my feelings from you. I guess he did not approve of it, tough luck. _

_Rodrigo is more mysterious than I originally thought. He thinks very differently from others, which is the main reason why he stands out. Some of the things he said are just so radical that it is...scary really. Like what he said about Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. being more violent than Adolf Hitler or Saddam Hussein...I honestly can't wrap my head around that. I'll have to big a little deeper into his guy's head in order to figure him out. The problem is, he is kind of like me. He is not willing to reveal much about himself, only enough to get people's attention, but not enough for people to completely figure him out. It is very irritating, actually. I wonder if that's what people feel about me, irritating?_

_Eugene is doing well, the nurse said that his bruises will disappear and he can continue being that clumsy little gay kid that as he always was. I kind of have to hand it to Rodrigo, when he wants to protect his friends, he does with full commitment, regardless for his safety. Although I had to put myself in danger in order to protect him, ugh. Because of that, Gerald said to him that he reminds us of you, which it is true. That's probably the reason why I like him, not like 'like' him though._

_Enough about my day, tell me more about this new city that are you now living in. What's there to do? Is it a fancy area?_

_Yours truly,_

_Helga G. Pataki_


	6. Chapter 6 - Save the Last Dance

**Hi everyone! So here is a special treat; two chapters in one night! In the previous chapters, I believe I focused enough on Rodrigo's background so I want to start focusing again on his friendship with Helga. So let us see how well they do when Rodrigo inadvertently sees Helga dancing.**

_Dear Helga,_

_I hope this letter finds you well. I'm sorry for not writing to you sooner, it has been very hectic in moving everything to the new apartment, plus with helping my parents at their job and enrolling in a new school, I had very little time to write, much less to do anything else._

_This new city has a great nightlife. It has a lot of cafes, restaurants, clubs, and even a well established cultural and artistic district, where many great minds come together. It's a really great city to live in and one I hope will be the last. This constant moving has been taking its toll on me, so much so, that I had to speak to my parents about this and tell them that it had to stop._

_I have been unable to make friends and when I do, we had to move again. It has been emotionally exhausting for me. Yet as always, I maintain a positive attitude about this and I hope for a more permanent settlement now._

_Gerald and everyone has been writing about this Rodrigo that just started school with you guys. He seems like a good person and I'm hoping I would get a chance to meet him one day. I have been told he has certain personality traits that I have and he often reminds them of me. Gerald told me what he did for Eugene. Please give him my thanks for me. Also, from what our friends have told me, you guys seem to be getting along well. I'm happy to hear that. I hope you give him a chance to be his friend and vise-versa._

_I hope everything has been going well for you at school. Once, everything is settled, I'll try to write again sooner._

_Yours truly,_

_Arnold Shortman_

After reading Arnold's letter, Helga instantly crumbled it and in a fit of rage, through it to the trash can. This was the first letter that he had sent her where he did not question her or make any comment about why she has not yet written to him. If anything, he completely omitted saying anything about it. This was a knife through her heart, as she felt that he was losing hope on her, on them on ever establishing a committed communication line. Tears started falling down her eyes at the very thought of never speaking to him again, but was trying desperately not to succumb in absolute sobbing.

_I am such a coward. Why must I be very weak? Why can't I just send him one lousy letter?! I've written hundreds of them that I have inside my closet. I can very easily take one out and just mail the damn thing...but I can't. I can't communicate with him and pretend like everything is ok. That's probably what he wants of me, to just move on without him, but I can't see myself doing that...I don't want to!_ Helga thought as she felt her heart hurting with every beat it gave, as if each beat was a stab right through it.

While still crying, she immediately reached for the crumbled letter, opened it, then gently put it another binder that contained all of Arnold's letters that he had sent her over the years.

_Arnold my love, I am so sorry for not writing to you. I have been trying for years to sent you a letter, yet I neither have the strength, nor the courage to do it. Worse still, I feel lost. I have no motivation, no passion, no reason to continue on. I'm not suicidal, I just can't seem to find a way to move on; it's too painful. I'm so sorry._ She thought while tears were still streaming down her cheeks.

No longer able to withstand it, she started sobbing so hard and so long that out of exhaustion, she fell asleep on her bed that night, never bothering to even come down to eat dinner.

The next day Helga was barely able to gather enough strength to get out of bed. On any day, she would have stayed home, but not today. She had a test that day for one of her class, which encompassed a big chunk of her marks. Despite her depression, she gathered all of her belongings, ate whatever little breakfast she was able to eat, got her things, then went to the bus stop.

Phoebe was not there to meet Helga this morning, as she had made previous arrangements to go with Gerald to school. It suited Helga just fine, as she had no desire to explain to Phoebe, or anyone else about why she looked so terrible.

At school, she practically avoided everyone, including Phoebe. As she was not able to avoid Rodrigo during history class, she attempted to act as normal as possible so he would be none the wiser. It worked...kind of. Rodrigo saw her and knew that she was not well. But he had decided not to ask her about it. At her last class, she took her test and finished it early. The teacher had previously stated that anyone who finished early was allowed to go home right away, much to Helga's delight.

However, her depression was getting the better of her and no longer able to cope with it, needed some leeway to express it all out of her.

_I can't take this anymore! I need something to help me relax, or to allow me to get out of my system before I explode! But what? I tried everything and nothing has worked. Nothing I seem to do allows me to get this sense of...hopelessness, this sense of nihilism out of my system! I have had it with this! I want to feel normal again, I want something to look forward to instead of just letting day by day pass on by with nothing to hope for!_ She thought frustratingly, while pounding her fists on her locker door.

Then she thought about dancing. On the second day of school she went to ask Mrs. Peterson who was in charge of the after school dancing program, to see what kind of music they had. To her dismay, for this semester they were focusing on hip-pop and break dancing. Helga said no thank you and immediately walked out of the room.

Then a thought occurred; if she couldn't enroll in a dancing program after school, then perhaps she should just dance on her own, but where can she go without being spotted?

_The theatre! Of course, no goes these except Eugene and those so-called 'actors' for their play and Eugene is the director so I'll bet I can ask him to use the stage after him. It'll be perfect!_ Helga thought.

She immediately ran over to the theatre room, where Eugene was just about to leave. She asked him if she can stay for a bit longer and promised to close up after she left. Eugene wondered why Helga wanted to use the theatre, but knowing her, she was never going to tell him, and after what she did for him by standing up to those 12 graders, he agreed.

"Thanks Eugene." Helga said.

"You're welcome Helga. Just please make sure you lock the doors when you leave. I don't want to get into trouble." Eugene said.

Once he left, Helga went on stage, grabbed the radio and put one of her CD's. It was a classical ballet music.

_I'll start with this and then later move on with something else._ She thought.

After a while, the bell rang, indicating that school was now over for today. As she predicted, no student bothered to come into the theatre, and with that she continued to perform her solo moves.

Rodrigo went to his locker to get his things, but then he had to go almost across the entire school in order to find his partner for school project for their political science class. He needed to discuss with him who should do what. After that was settled, he decided to call it a day and was about to head home; he only need to passed by the theatre. As he did so, he was stopped dead in his tracks by some salsa music.

_Salsa? There's a party going on in the theatre and I wasn't invited? How rude!_ He thought jokingly.

He noticed that one of the doors was slightly opened. He grabbed it and went inside, hoping to find a lot of people dancing. Instead, to his shock, he saw Helga, alone and dancing away.

After some seconds passed, Rodrigo realized that Helga had not noticed him coming in. He gently closed the door behind him, then locked both doors to ensure that no one else would come in. God knows that Helga was already going to freak out when she sees Rodrigo there, much less if anyone else saw her. He then quietly walked down the ramp and when he almost reached the front, took a seat to watch her.

The music that Helga was dancing to was called 'Mataron le negro bembom', a purely salsa music. Yet what Helga was doing was to combine ballet moves with salsa dancing. To Rodrigo's astonishment, it was working out perfectly, if not beautifully.

Depending on the type of music that was being played out at that time, the moves would either be ballet move or a salsa move, or sometimes a hybrid of them, all awhile keeping to the rhythm. She kept on dancing like that with her eyes closed, never noticing that Rodrigo was there watching in awe.

_Wow, she is beautiful while she dances. She is so graceful, so calm. She looks so peaceful while she dances. Yet the moves also contain a lot of energy. It is a perfect combination. That's probably why she is here, to just let whatever was bothering her out of her system. _He thought.

Rodrigo then started getting a bit nervousness. He was curious to see her dancing that he had not thought about how she would react to find him in the theatre.

_Man, I hope she won't freak out too much when she sees me. This was a bad move on my part, but it is too late to get out, the music is about to end._ He thought.

After a few minutes, the music finally ended. Helga then opened her eyes, but because she finished with her back toward the audience seats, she did not see Rodrigo. She started walking toward the radio to turn it off. As soon as she turned off the radio to call it day…

*clap*clap*clap*

"That was beautiful Helga." Rodrigo said to her.

She instantly jerked her entire body in fright to look at him.

"Arno…I mean Rodrigo?!" Helga cried out.

Rodrigo instantly stopped clapping. _Arnold? Do I look white to her? What is it up with this guy that he has such a big influence in this group and her? Ever since Gerald first mentioned him, they had not stopped talking about him. Sheesh, he cannot be that good of a good person._ Rodrigo thought annoyingly.

"What are you doing here?!" Helga asked him with a raised voice, still surprised to find him here.

"Well, I was on my way out from the school when I heard music coming from here and curiously, decided to go inside and have a look." He said as he got up and started walking toward the stage.

"I'm assuming that you wanted to be alone today. If so, you might want to lock the doors next time. You are lucky that I was the only one that heard you and walked inside."

He then walked onto the stage and continued,

"Your dancing was incredible, Helga. I'm not surprised anymore on how you were able to dance the way you did with me on the day when we met." Rodrigo said.

He took a step towards her, but as he did so, Helga took a step back, clearly still being visibly nervous.

_What is up with this girl? On the one hand, she will not hesitate to give you a black eye, but on the other hand, she is vulnerable. She is looking at me right now as if she is scared, as if I'm going to do something to her. _He thought.

"How long have you been dancing?" Rodrigo asked her.

"I umm…took ballet classes for a number of years. I dropped out when I realized that my parents only enrolled me so I could follow in Olga's steps. I only recently started getting into certain Latin music. I just practice in my room, performing solo moves." She said.

"So you never danced with anyone?" Rodrigo asked, to which Helga simply shook her head.

_Wow. She has talent._ He thought.

"You are talented, Helga." He complimented her.

"Ya ya whatever Latino boy." Helga said, regaining her tough exterior.

Then Rodrigo said something unexpected.

"If you're willing, I would like to be your dancing partner." He offered.

"Why?" Helga asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, because I want to help you. You have a lot of energy and you put a lot of passion into your moves, so I want help you into allowing you to channel that energy. Plus, I'm sure I can learn a few dance moves from you." Rodrigo said with a smile.

"Pfft ya right bucko. And why would I need help? As you said, I'm already an incredible dancer." Helga said with a smirk.

"You are, but your dance moves also have limitations. You are only able to do solo moves, but you know little on how to coordinate them with another person. That takes skills and it is not something you can learn right away. I dance a lot too and I know from experience that with a partner, you can create some of the move beautiful moves, all awhile channeling all those emotions that you have bottled up inside you and allow it to be expressed to its most fullest extent."

He continued on, "And since we're friends, I thought that it would be a good idea…"

"Whoa whoa there bucko, friends? Who says we're friends? We're not friends." Helga interjected and retorted back with her arms crossed.

"Oookk..." was all Rodrigo could say, as he became perplexed.

"Look, just because I told you something personal about my life doesn't mean that we're friends." Helga interjected and retorted back with her arms crossed.

Completely confused, Rodrigo said, "Huh? I thought…", before she cut him off again.

"You thought what? That because I helped you with your 'little family problem' and told you about how my family neglects me, that all of a sudden we can be amigos? Ya right, in your dreams, Latino boy." she mockingly retorted back.

"It's real pathetic Rodrigo if you think that by virtue of our crappy lives you thought that we can be close buddies." she concluded coldly.

That hurt. Rodrigo had really thought that after conversing with her about their issues, that they had become friends. Perhaps not close friends, but still friends, or at least be on friendly terms. He thought they were finally making progress. Now, he had come to the conclusion that her tough exterior was not only immature and stupid…but also selfish on her part. She was willing go at any length to hurt him just so he can stay away from her, and all he was trying to do was help her. It had not dawned on her how her actions or words might affect others because she has been so preoccupied with her own self and feelings to even consider it. Despite his patience starting to wear thin, he nevertheless maintained himself and said,

"Well regardless, I would still like to help you Helga. I'm not asking to be your therapist. All I'm offering is to be your dance partner so you can continue to dance and learn."

"I don't need your help, Rodrigo. I don't need anyone's help. I'm perfectly capability in taking care of myself…" Helga started to say, before Rodrigo cut her off for once.

"Everyone needs help Helga! Even you!" Rodrigo cried out, startling Helga to go silent. He finally lost his patience.

_I cannot believe how incredibly stubborn she is! She would rather die than accept help._ Rodrigo thought.

"What is it with you that you will not accept anyone's help? I see the way you look, the way you behave and walk around the hallway. You always look so sad and so angry. Clearly, something is bothering you, yet you will not allow anyone to get close to help you. You don't even give them a chance. Your friends told me how badly you took it when Arnold left and how you shut them out of your life for months. You never answered their calls, and whenever they asked you if you were OK, you simply told them that it was not their business. I know you said you don't trust people, but your friends? The same people that you have known since you were three and yet even them; you will not accept their help? Do you honestly have that big of a problem in trusting people?"

"How do you think I managed with my problems? Clearly I had people who helped me; my friends, my parents, and yes even you. You helped me on that day by talking to me and it actually made me feel a little better, enough to get by that week. You were right; you were the last person that I wanted to talk to on that day, but you know what? I'm glad it was you. I was actually happy that out of all people, I spoke to you about my issue. That is why I want to help you, as a token of my appreciation for what you did for me."

Helga stayed silent for a moment, not knowing what to say. But before she could say anything, Rodrigo continued,

"You know what? You're right, you don't need my help." With that, he started walking towards his backpack, grabbed it, and then started going down the stairs.

"I can't help you unless you are willing to admit to me, and especially to yourself, that you need help. Help is not a sign of weakness, Helga. All help is, is just to allow the person to get up, but you still have to do most of the work on your own." Rodrigo said. He then started walking towards the exit.

Despite what Helga had said that they were not friends, he still wanted to help her and initially he was hoping that Helga would stop him and ask for his help. However, by the time he was halfway on the ramp, his desire to help her decreased dramatically. Still reeling by what Helga said to him, he thought that perhaps it was best if he didn't help her.

_This is probably a good thing. If she doesn't want my help, then fine. I can't force her. And if what she said, that we're not friends, is true, then why should I care?_

However, as he approached the exit door, he heard Helga call out to him,

"Rodrigo, wait!"

**20 seconds earlier…**

As Helga watched Rodrigo leaving, she had conflicting thoughts about what he said.

She realized that unlike everyone else, including Arnold, Rodrigo was not willing to allow her to drag him around, waiting for her if she will ever open up to him. He was willing to help her out whenever she asked for it, but only if she asked for it. Otherwise, he will just move on. However, just like Arnold, he was giving her the option to choose. It is up to her if she will accept his help, or anyone else's help for that matter.

_You messed up again Pataki, just like you always do! He is only trying to help you, just accept it. No No, you don't need his help, you were fine on your own. Ha, what a laugh, you have been miserable since Arnold left, swallow your pride and accept his help. What have you got to lose? *sigh* myself…I can't do this on my own. I tried to do it for two years and it didn't work. He's right. I tried everything else. Even dancing on my own, despite it helping, has its limits. I…need help. _

"Rodrigo, wait!"

**Present…**

By the time Helga called to him, Rodrigo had lost any desire to help her. But since he promised her, and with his morality getting the best of him, he turned around to address her.

"Yes?" he called out.

"I need…your help." Helga confessed.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't quite hear you. Say it again." Rodrigo said as he slowly started walking back toward the stage.

"I need your help!" Helga yelled.

"Louder!"

"Ugh crimeny I need your help, OK?! Now are you going to help me or not?" Helga cried out while scowling at him.

Rodrigo then walked back to the stage, climbed on it, dropped his backpack, and then started with the lesson.

As they were about to start, Rodrigo noticed her blue hat and looked at it with confusing eyes.

Getting annoyed by the constant staring,

"Why don't you take a picture? It'll last longer." Helga said with a smirk.

"Sorry, I was just wondering about your hat. It's really special to you, but when you and I were dancing that day, I noticed that not once did it every fall from your head, even when I bent you backwards, it still remained on your head."

When Helga was in grade 9, one kid was stupidly going around and taking people's hats off. As he approached Helga, who was talking to Phoebe and did not notice him, he attempted to grab it, but because he was running so fast, he missed it, but touched it just enough that it almost came completely off from her head. Even more stupidly, he turned around and tried to take it again, but then Helga, in a fit of rage that her pink bow was almost exposed, grabbed him, through him against the locker and beat the living snout of him. He ended up getting a black eye and some bruises to his face. Since then, Helga would always attach her hat onto her head with a piece of string, invisible to everyone, to ensure it would not fall off.

"Well I don't know… it's just how my hat fits." Helga attempted to nervously explain.

"Now are you going to teach me to dance or physics?" She asked him.

"Well both, actually. Dancing is about physics and knowing how to keep your balance, as well coordinating with your partner's body, all while moving together through time." He said with a cocky smile.

"You are a real cocky person, you know that?"

"Why thank you!" he said with a smile.

"That was not a compliment, Rodrigo."

"Oh I know. I am just accepting it as one." He countered.

Despite the frustration, Helga couldn't help but let out a small laughter.

_Good, she is a little relaxed. Now we can start._ He thought.

They began with basic steps, back and forward, with sometimes Rodrigo spinning Helga around.

After sometime, Helga was starting to get frustrated with the slow dancing.

"Rodrigo, this is boring." Helga said while rolling her eyes.

"I know, and that is the point." Rodrigo said. "Do you know what your problem is?"

"No, what is my problem?" Helga asked rather aggressively.

"You have a lot of passion and energy inside you. You have a lot that you need to express and get it out of your system, and that's ok, but that's not your problem. You are very tense and heightened, always ready to pounce at someone, whether physically or verbally. You are not able to relax and just appreciate things slowly. You have to learn to do that, but in order to do that, you have to find your mean." Rodrigo explained.

"My what?" Helga asked.

"Your mean, your balance. Aristotle said that excesses in anything can be harmful, both to yourself and to others. One must always try to find this sense of balance between two extremes. But in order to achieve this balance there are two criterias. Firstly, you have to constantly practice in finding it. This will start out as something that you have to consciously do, but it gets easier as it slowly becomes a habit. Secondly, do it because you want to, not because you have to."

By this point, clearly exasperated, Helga stopped dancing and let Rodrigo go before exclaiming, "Rodrigo, I don't have time for this New Age crap."

"This isn't New Age or anything Astrological. It is purely philosophical and psychological in nature. You only want to dance so you can just 'let it all out', which it fine. But that is only half the battle. I'm here to take you further than that; to find a more permanent solution." Rodrigo explained, as he offered his hand to start dancing again.

"But you're right; this music is getting a little boring." Rodrigo added. He went over to the radio, changed the music, and then started dancing faster.

The second Rodrigo started dancing faster; Helga immediately started getting into trouble, as she was not familiar with the moves that Rodrigo was doing. Plus, she still was not comfortable in letting him lead her.

Rodrigo noticed this and stopped dancing.

"What just happened there?" Rodrigo asked her.

"I'm not familiar with the moves that you were doing." Helga explained.

"And?"

"And what?"

"What else was missing? You need to say it, Helga and there's no shame in it. Whatever you say here, will stay here. I'll take it to my grave." Rodrigo said.

"I'm…not comfortable in you…leading me." Helga confessed sheepishly.

"Ok. That's why we started dancing slowly, so you can get used to dancing with a partner. Otherwise it'll never work and you'll always be dancing alone, even if your moves are good."

"So let's take it slowly and we'll slowly get a little faster, OK?" Rodrigo asked, to which Helga nodded.

Rodrigo had ulterior motives for wanting to dance slowly. He was still not comfortable in dancing with Helga after that hurtful remark. He was not sure why it bothered him so, but it wouldn't leave his mind throughout the rest of their dancing lessons.

After more than 30 minutes of dancing, he was no longer able to stand dancing with her, pretending that everything was now ok between them when it was not. He abruptly ended the dancing and said,

"That's enough for today. I'll see you tomorrow, Helga." Then he went to get his stuff and start walking towards the exit, leaving Helga alone on stage and confused by his sudden departure.

"Ok? See ya" she said.

_What's got his pants in a bunch?_ She thought with a raise eyebrow.

She cleaned up the stage then locked the doors behind her and called it a night.

**The next day…**

At lunchtime, Helga walked into the lunchroom and headed towards their usual hanging out. She was hoping to find Rodrigo there, but he wasn't.

"Hey. Where's Rodrigo?" She asked.

"He's at the library. He said he had a project to finish." Sid said while eating his food.

"Thanks, Sid." She said as she headed to the library.

Once she entered the library, she scanned around and found him at the far corner.

Rodrigo was so preoccupied with his project that Helga nearly startled him when she approached him and sat down beside him.

"Hey" she said.

"Hey" Rodrigo responded back.

"I know you're busy…but I was hoping if we can continue practicing today after school, if you are available? I still...need your help." She asked.

Once Rodrigo responded, she was also going to ask him why he abruptly ended their practice yesterday.

Rodrigo was not flattered with her interest in continuing to practice with him. If there was anything that Rodrigo lacked, it was that he was not a forgiving person. For Rodrigo, just as he was willing to admit any wrongdoings and attempt to fix any damage he may have done to someone, he had the same expectation.

Since her remark, he had lost all motivation to help her out. He tried all day to reason it out, knowing full well that Helga was only trying to get him away from her and she did not mean to say those things. She was scared and he knew that. However, he was not able to cease it from bothering him. He felt that every justification he gave only patronized her further, as if she was someone that Rodrigo had to protect, had to constantly forgive, if not spoil her for her transgressions. He did not want to do that, as he felt that Helga was not some child that needed protection from herself. Yet, he initially hesitated from telling her how he felt, as he was concerned that if he said something to her, she would take it the wrong way and probably never ask for his help again, let alone probably never speak to him again. But he knew that if he did not say anything to her, then she would not know how that remark really affected him and it could encourage her to continue.

_She has to know. She can't just say whatever she wants to say and not expect it to have consequences. Even if it costs our friendship, I have to do it anyways. It is up to her how she should react to this. Besides, unless I get this out of my system, I can't help her out; I'm just too upset over this._ He thought.

"I thought you said we were not friends?" he responded back.

"What?" she asked him with a confused face.

"Yesterday, you said that we were not friends and it was pathetic of me to assume so, so why are you acting like we are now?" He re-asked his question.

_When did I ever…oh crimeny!_ She thought, now realizing why he abruptly left yesterday.

"Oh come on Latino boy… that was a umm…heat of the moment, a joke." Helga attempted to explain with a smile.

"Not to me it wasn't. It actually sounded like you were being serious. It also sounded like you were mocking what I was going through that week." He responded with a serious tone.

"I said was happy that I spoke to you about what I was going through because I thought you would have understood, to know the serious impact of the ones whom you thought was supposed to be there for you, failed you. I lost a good chunk of my family because of this decision. My uncles, cousins, grandmother, everyone. Even my parents. I can sometimes see it in their eyes; the contempt they have for me for having lost their family as well. You, of all people should know what that's like, Helga."

"I uhh umm.." Helga stuttered but was unable to say anything.

"And I'm sorry Helga." Rodrigo continued. "I can't help anyone who just says whatever they feel like and not take responsibilities for their actions, or in your case, words. I still care about you, Helga. I still want to help you, but unless you take responsibilities for what you say and do, instead of blaming it all on your family and living under their shadow, then I'm afraid no one can help you."

And with that, Rodrigo looked back down on this notes and started working on his project. After a short while, he felt Helga get up and leave without saying a word.

After some time, he thought,

_How did Arnold do this? He must have the patience of an angel to have put up with her for so long. It has not even been two months and I'm already exasperated, if not tired by her drama and behavior. And Gerald…I honestly don't blame him anymore for not wanting to have anything to do with Helga. But that does not make things better. She still needs help and I still want to help her. _

_I know I should not have been so harsh, but she needed to hear it. She needed to know that enough is enough and she needs to grow up, to get out of her family's shadow and into her own light. She needs to be her own person. I just hope she understood that is what I was trying to do._

Helga left the library quietly, but with a fit of rage.

_What a cry baby! I've never met anyone complain this much about what I have said. That was a serious low blow Rodrigo! Of course I understand!_ She thought to herself angrily.

She went to the women's washroom to cool down, trying desperately not to explode. She grabbed the sink so hard that her hands were becoming red. As she looked into the mirror, angry tears were starting to fall down her eyes.

Unable to take it anymore, she exploded and started kicking the sink, the door for one of the stools, the wall, while yelling in pure frustration. The second time she kicked the stool door, she kicked it so hard that the handle broke, knocking the door down.

_How dare he say that to me! He should be grateful that someone was there to talk to him when he needed to. I don't need him to lecture me on how miserable this life is!_ She thought.

After 5 minutes of ranting, she finally collapsed to the side and fell down on the ground, exhausted and started to cry.

_What have I done? Everyone who's tried to help me I just pushed them away. My friends, Arnold, Phoebe and now Rodrigo. I have no one left! I'm soo angry at Rodrigo right now, but I know I should only be mad at myself. I never should have said those things to him; all because of my pride! He has every right to be upset with me and not help me._

After 15 minutes, she was still lying on the floor in the bathroom, pondering about what to do next. Thankfully no one came inside to see her the state she was in. Then, the bell ran, signifying the end of lunch, but she did not move.

_If I go back to how things were before and never talk to Rodrigo again, then it will be just that; the same, nothing will change. My only option left is to reconcile with Rodrigo. I have to put my pride aside; it has been getting in my way for so long, interfering in my life. I have to apologize to him. At the very least I can at least say that I did that._ She thought

When Rodrigo entered history class, Helga was not there. Even when class started, she never showed up, causing Rodrigo to be concerned.

_Oh no, perhaps I went too far. I hope she is OK. I have to find her after school._ He thought.

Once the bell rang after their last class, Rodrigo quickly went to this locker to get things so he can find Helga.

_Please be OK, please be OK._ He thought worryingly.

The second he closed his locker, Helga was standing right behind it, startling him.

"Helga! Are you OK? You never showed up for history class and I got worried." Rodrigo asked her.

"Can we talk?" She asked him.

"Ya. Do you want to go to the theatre? There's no one there." Rodrigo asked, to which she nodded.

Neither of them spoke while they headed towards the theatre. Rodrigo instantly noticed her puffy face and red eyes, a clear indication that she was crying. He also noticed that her hands were bruised. Once he saw them, he instantly regretted saying those things to her. Although he was not sure why, but he had this serious urge to hug her, to comfort her and attend to her wounds. Whether he was patronizing her, or this was just a biological, masculine response to a female in distress, or just an emotional reaction from one friend to another, he didn't care its cause. He just wanted to make sure that she was OK.

When they entered the theatre, they locked all the doors, walked down the ramp and hopped on stage. They both then sat down and Rodrigo waited for her to say something. When she was still silent, he felt that he needed to say something,

"Helga, I'm so so sorry about what I said earlier…" but Helga put her hand up to indicate to him to stop talking.

"You have nothing to be sorry about." She started to say.

"You were right, about growing up, about not always being in my family's shadow. And I'm sorry for what I said to you, about us not being friends. It was a lie. And I never, ever meant to mock what you were going through on that week. I knew you were hurting and that's why I approached you, because I know what that feels like; to have to bear it alone." She continued, while tears were falling down her eyes.

When Rodrigo said nothing, she continued.

"I just miss him; Arnold I mean. It's been more than two years since he left and I still feel as if he only left yesterday. I miss him every, single, day. I have been feeling empty since he left. I have not been able to move on, to live as everyone else has been living. I have been feeling like that I'm stuck in this time warp, where I have to endure the same pain every day. I tried moving on, I tried to do fun activities, but I am unable to enjoy them. There are days when I am ok, but then there are days when I just struggle to even get out of bed."

"And I can't take it anymore. I don't want to live like this. I just want to…not feel this pain, this sense of loss anymore. I know that I can miss Arnold, but still move on and be somewhat happy at least."

It finally dawned on Rodrigo what Helga was going through, so he proceed to ask her this question,

"What does Arnold mean to you?"

"Everything. He was the only one that saw anything of value in me, anything that was worth… being loved, when no one else did, not even our friends." Helga confessed.

_Two years?! Two years of having to endure this pain for this long? Not to mention that her parents neglect her. How is she still alive? What keeps her alive? I would have killed myself by now, or at least asked for help. This girl is far stronger that any person I have ever known; far stronger than I._ He thought.

"Why not our friends?" Rodrigo continued to ask.

"They never liked me, even when we were kids. They always saw me as a bully, as an angry person, who was barely in worth being a girl. Not that I blame them. I am still this angry, bully person. But only Arnold was able to see past my toughness and see another side of me. Him and Phoebe." She responded back while wiping a tear away.

"And me." Rodrigo quietly added.

"What?" Helga asked.

"I can also see past your tough exterior and something beyond it; something beautiful, nice and sweet, something that is worth loving." He added.

When Helga said nothing, he continued,

"I can tell. A person that spends so much energy trying to hide behind a tough exterior must be guarding something very sensitive, something so sacred that only a privileged few are be able to see it. And you confirmed it when you sat down to asked me what was wrong on that Friday. I knew then that you have a good heart, even when you pretend not to have one." He explained with a smile.

Helga smiled back. _He is just like Arnold..._

Then Rodrigo extended his hand.

"Friends?" he asked.

After a short while, Helga shook his hand and said, "Friends.", finally confirming their friendship.

As he shook her hand, he noticed the bruises. Her knuckles were scarred red. His smile instantly dropped as it gave way to horror and deep sadness.

_What did she do to herself? Did I do this to her?_ He thought.

Helga immediately took her away and while rubbing her hands together, said, "Relax Latino boy. They are not broken. After what you said back at the library, I kind of lost it...so I went to the washroom and took it out on the stool door and sink.

Still feeling guilty for setting her off like that, she continued, "As I told you before, I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself." with a smile.

Rodrigo decided that despite his guilt, he would put this behind him, instead of feeling sorry for himself. He responded with his own smile to her.

Suddenly, he gently took her hand, then got up, while lifting her up on her feet.

"Alright. Are you ready to dance?" he asked her.

"Yes, but just one question. You said that I have to find this mean, or balance. How do I go about doing that?" She asked.

"Finding your mean is something that you will have to constantly practice. Even when you obtain it, life will always try to get you off your balance. There will be days when you will be severely tested and may fall off. But that is why you can always get up and find it again. The important thing is that you do something that makes you happy. Whatever it is, whether it is dancing or writing, or reading, or becoming a professor, you don't do it because it is useful to you, or because it makes other people happy, no. You do it because it brings out the best in you, it allows you to let everyone see that part of you that is so unique and beautiful about you. And the reason why it brings out the best in you, it is because it makes you happy when you do it." Rodrigo explained.

"Aristotle said that that state of mind is called _eudaimonia_, which in English, can be loosely translated as happiness. Does dancing make you happy?"

"Ya, I guess." Helga responded.

"Then let your happiness start here." Rodrigo said

"Ok, I guess I'll have to read this Aristotle guy sometime." Helga said.

"You should. He is one of history's greatest philosophers. Now come on, let's dance."

**Later that evening...**

After they said their goodbyes, Rodrigo decided to walk home that evening. Helga, after having a stressful day, decided to take the bus home.

As he continued to walk, he pondered on the today's event. He had mixed feelings about it.

_On the one hand, I achieved what only Phoebe and this Arnold guy were able to do; become friends with Helga Pataki, all in less than two months! But on the other hand, I cannot help but feel guilty that I managed to become friends with her, while everyone else seem to give her the cold shoulder. I know she does that to them too, but that's not the point. They have known each other for many years; how is it that were not able to close this gap between them? What did they do to Helga that made her so weary of them?_

_I have to find out. I have to know what happened when they were kids. Surely there is some logical explanation to this and I'm sure they will understand that things are now different and they should not allow the past to haunt them. I'll have to talk to each of them._

_Here I go again, using my time to help Helga. Why am I so into her? Why am I taking my time to help her with this, especially if she did not even ask me?! What is it about her that got me so interested her? Do I romantically like her? I don't think so. I guess maybe it is because she is different and it is the 'chase' of having to gain her trust in order for her to open up. She may be tough, but behind that is this beautiful person that I honestly want everyone to see, even if Helga does not wish to show it._

_Either way, I am just grateful that our friendship is now finally confirmed. I honestly couldn't be happier. We not only made a break through as friends, she also made a breakthrough as a person, and for that, I am proud of her._

**Later that evening, in Helga's room...**

Helga was just finishing up her letter that she was writing to Arnold...

_...well this has been a very emotional rollercoaster week for me, football head. However, I am certain that things will get better. Yes my beloved football head, Helga Pataki, is being positive about the future. And I have every reason to be. Rodrigo has been very helpful in me being more positive. And to confirm what you have been hoping in your last letter, yes I am now friends with him._

Helga paused for a moment and smiled when she thought of Rodrigo. Finally, someone who seems to understands her and actually likes her. Sure he has his limits, but it is enough for her. She continued to write...

_I hope this new city that you are in is indeed the last one you are moving to. When you get a chance to see the nightlife, especially its cultural district, let me know what 'great minds' you meet there. Good to hear that you finally put your foot down and told you parents to cease with the constant moving. I'm proud of you!_

_Your confidant,_

_Helga G. Pataki _


	7. Chapter 7 - Rhonda's Halloween Party

**Hi everyone! In this chapter, Rhonda is having her yearly Halloween party scare, but there is a catch: guests must bring a date with them, otherwise they cannot attend. Both Rodrigo and Helga are invited, but how do they feel about them being together?**

* * *

Rodrigo and Helga continued with their dancing lessons whenever they could. With more practice, Helga was starting to grow more comfortable with Rodrigo leading her and a result, she was able to progress with faster, more complex dance moves. Sometimes Helga would want to perform some of her solo moves, while Rodrigo would do the same. Other times Helga simply just wanted to be alone for that evening. Either way, Helga started to look more and more forward to her evening dancing time and as a result, became more relaxed, with a less tendency to quickly become angry towards others. She had asked Rodrigo and Eugene to keep this their dancing lessons a secret, as she did not wish for anyone else to know. Rodrigo did not protest and respected her wish.

**During lunchtime...**

Helga walked into the lunch room that day to find only the girls eating their lunch. All the guys were outside playing baseball. Though slightly annoyed, she nevertheless approached them and sat on the table to eat her lunch. She no sooner sat down when Rhonda spoke to her with a smile,

"Oh Helga, here is your invitation to this year's Halloween party scare."

"Gee, thanks Princess, you shouldn't have." she said sarcastically, as she accepted the invitation card but did not bother to open it.

"You should be. Not everyone gets invited to attend my parties." Rhonda replied while looking at her with irritated eyes. She knew how Helga is, so she tried not let it get to her.

"I'm sure it will be ever so wonderful, Rhonda. Although, I do hope you will not decorate your house as scary as last time." Lila said.

"Not to worry Lila. I have a bit of a different theme this year that focuses less on the scare." Rhonda with a smile.

"Any ideas on what costume you will be wearing, Rhonda?" Phoebe asked her.

"hmm, I'm not sure yet. But I will figure it out soon. I just need to find time this weekend to shop around." Rhonda responded back.

"Hey, why don't we all go to the mall this weekend to look for some costumes?" Sheena suggested.

"What a great idea Sheena! How does Saturday sound for everyone?" Rhonda asked, which everyone nodded in agreement, except Helga.

"Well, you guys have fun. I already know what I'm going to wear for the party." she said.

"Dressing up as you does not count, Helga" Rhonda said with a stern face. "You have to wear a real costume to the party; it's a must."

Helga just rolled her eyes.

"Oh, and you must also bring a date with you. That's the new theme Helga." Rhonda added, as she also looked at everyone else.

That set Helga off, as she misinterpreted what Rhonda meant by the word, 'date'.

She quickly got up from the table and yelled her.

"Forget it Princess! I am not going to just date and bring with me some loser to your dumb Halloween party!" with a furious face and started storming out of the lunchroom.

"Helga, wait! That's not what I mean by 'date'!" Rhonda attempted to explain, but Helga was already too far to hear her, as she pushed the lunchroom doors and exited the area.

Rhonda, as everyone else, knew that Helga has not dated anyone, nor attempted to, since Arnold left. Worse still, bringing this topic up with her was very sensitive, as anyone who did was essentially indicating to Helga to move on and forget him. Sympathetic to her feelings, Rhonda was courteous enough to never mention this topic to Helga. She had attempted to explain to Helga what she meant by the word 'date', however Helga exploded before she had the opportunity to.

"Oh dear. I better go talk to her." Phoebe said.

"No, let me Phoebe. I made her upset, so let me speak with her...after I give her some time to cool down." Rhonda said with a nervous smile.

**20 minutes later...**

Rhonda found Helga outside the school, sitting on one of the benches, alone. Rather nervously, she approached her and gently sat down besides her, hoping she would not throttle her.

"I'm sorry Helga. I did not mean to get you upset over this." Rhonda began.

When Helga said nothing, she continued,

"I did not mean that you must bring an actual 'date'. It can be friend as well, boy or girl."

Then she dared to say,

"I know you miss him; I miss him too." She continued.

Helga turned to look at her, to which Rhonda quickly added, "Not that I'm saying that I was more hurt than you were when he left, hehehehee. I just mean that you are not alone in missing him; we all miss him."

"I know Princess." Helga finally responded back sadly.

After some silence, Rhonda said, "Well, it's up to you if you want to come. I hope you do, I'm sure you'll have fun."

"I'll think about it Princess. Thanks" Helga said.

"OK" Rhonda said with a smile. Then she got up and went back inside.

**5 minutes earlier...**

A minute after Rhonda left the lunchroom to look for Helga, Rodrigo went inside to eat his lunch. After playing some baseball, he was starving.

"Hi Ladies." He said to the girls there.

"Hi Rodrigo!" Lila said to him.

"Man, I'm starving... Where's Rhonda today?" Rodrigo asked.

"Oh, she went to find Helga... she was a little upset." Sheena responded.

"Oh. I hope she is OK."

"I'm sure she is. Oh Rodrigo, Rhonda wanted me to give you this." Nadine said, as she handed him his invitation to Rhonda's Halloween party scare.

"Thank you, Nadine." Rordrigo said. He opened the invitation and read it.

"Oh sweet! A Halloween party! And I must bring a date?" He asked.

"Yep. Do you have anyone in particular?" Phoebe asked.

"I might, actually" Rodrigo responded while smiling.

Rodrigo was thinking of perhaps asking Carmen, a cute, yet pretty Latina girl that was in his Business class.

_I'll ask her if she available. It'll be a blast!_ he thought happily.

"I'm assuming you ladies are coming?" he asked them, to which they all nodded.

"Is Helga coming?"

"Ummm...oh I'm sure she will." Nadine said nervously.

Rodrigo looked at the card again and realized that the invitation strictly says that bringing a date is mandatory.

"Wait, what happens if I don't bring someone with me?" Rodrigo asked.

"Then unfortunately you can't go to the party. It is for couples only, or at least you must bring someone else with you, even if it is only a friend." Nadine responded.

Rodrigo knew then that Helga will not be coming to the party.

"Oh. So then Helga will not be coming then" Rodrigo said, but no one responded.

"Hey, here's an idea. Why don't you and Helga come together?" Sheena suggested.

"Oh yes! That's a great idea Sheena. What do you think Rodrigo?" Phoebe asked.

"Well...I was kind of hoping to ask someone else, really." Rodrigo confessed.

"Rodrigo, please? Can you ask Helga first if she can come with you? I honestly doubt she will find anyone else to go with her and I'm pretty sure she will be delighted to go with you. You guys seem to be bonding well." Phoebe protested.

"Why can't you go with her, Phoebe?" Rodrigo asked.

"Because I'm going with Gerald." Phoebe responded.

_*sigh* where is Arnold when you need him?_ He thought.

"Alright, I'll ask her first. But if she says no, then I'm going to ask someone else." Rodrigo said.

"Wonderful! Thank you Rodrigo." Phoebe said smiling.

**At History class...**

before their history class started, Rodrigo waited for Helga to come in. A minute later, she walked inside and sat down on her seat.

"Hey Helga, you know about Rhonda's Halloween party?"

"What about it?" Helga asked nonchalantly.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to the party?" he asked.

Taken aback by his invitation, Helga stood quiet for a moment, then she turned to face him and asked, "You want to go with me?"

"Well sure why not?" he said.

"Like a date?" she asked.

_What is it with these North American girls that think whenever a male friend asks them out, it is considered as a date? Can't a guy friend just take his female friend to a dance? We do that all the time where I am from._ He thought.

"What? No, as friends." he said.

"Let me think about it" she said.

Rodrigo was somewhat surprised by her response. He had expected her to give him a simple 'yes' or 'no' right there and then. Plus he was also hoping to get an answer today to see if he can still ask Carmen.

"Alright" was all he said.

**Later that evening...**

Rodrigo was at home, busy finishing up his homework, when his home phone started ringing.

"Mama, contesta por favor!" (Mom, get it please!) Rodrigo called out to her.

After a short while, his mother called out to him,

"Hijo, es para ti. Una amiga que se llama, Hilda o Helga?" (Son, it's for you. a female friend by the name of, Hilda or Helga?)

_Helga? Why is she calling me?_ he thought to himself.

He picked up the receiver and told his mom to hang up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Helga. So listen, about your offer in me going with you to Rhonda's party...ya I guess I'll go with you."

"Oh ok, cool." he said.

"You don't sound so excited." Helga asked suspiciously.

"No No, I am. I'm glad you said yes, actually." he attempted to explain.

"Ok, so I'll see ya tomorrow then."

"OK...Helga wait! Umm how did you get my home number? I never gave it out to anyone."

"Well doi, doofus! I know that now. I tried calling your cell, but you were not answering, so I ended up having to ask almost everyone to see if they had your house phone number. Obviously no one had it, and I had to come up with dumb excuses as to why I needed to call you. I ended looking it up on the phonebook. Thankfully you were listed here. Crimeny, next time give someone your home number." Helga explained.

"Oh ok. Ya, I will do that, thanks Helga." he said. Then he hang up and looked at his clock.

_It's Thursday today. Why did she go through all that trouble to tell me that she was going to be my date? She could have just waited until Friday morning to let me know. What was her rush?_ he thought.

**Meanwhile in Helga's room...**

After speaking with Rodrigo, she hang up her phone, while she lied on her bed groaning.

"What's the matter, Helga?" Phoebe asked her.

"I don't know if I should go through with this Phoebe." she confessed.

"Why not?"

"I feel like...if I do this, then I'm betraying Arnold."

"But Helga, you said it yourself that Rodrigo asked you to go with him as a friend." Phoebe reminded her.

"I know. I don't know why I feel like this is a betrayal. I know Rodrigo said that this is not a date, but I can't help but feel this way. It's like every attempt I do in order to move on, the pull gets stronger." she explained.

"Well, do you feel that it is going to be a date? Do you like Rodrigo enough for it to be a date?" Phoebe asked her.

"I don't think so, but I'm not sure. He reminds me of Arnold, yet I know that he is not him. I don't get that usual sensation when I see him and I don't feel like I'm going to fall into some romantic trance that I used to whenever I saw Arnold. But he is a very intuitive person and he is wiser beyond his years and...I guess I like that? I don't know." she explained as she rubbed her eyes.

"There is also something else." she continued. "He is different and he thrives on that. He is not afraid of being different; if anything, he enjoys it. He has told me that there is a cost on being different, but for him, the benefits well exceed it. He does not do things just because he wants to; he does them in order to prove a point. I can't quite my finger on it, but I find it...enthralling; that there is someone out there who is also in some ways, not like everyone else, and he likes it that way."

"And how does him being different relate to you?" She asked.

"I've never cared what other people thought of me Pheebs, even now. You know that. But it would be nice if once in a while people were not so judgmental. Rodrigo is not like that. He does not judge me, even when he is critical of the some of the things that I say or do. Also, I seem to carry this burden that originated from my family life and I am unable to get it off my shoulders. With Rodrigo, he has had serious issues with his extended family, and it does affect him. When his grandmother visited him, he was miserable. But once she left, he was alright. Despite how his issues with his family affect him, he does not carry it around. He is able to move on. I can't seem to do that. I guess that's why I am always so angry and resentful; because everyone else is able to get on with their lives, except me."

_Hmmm, I wonder. Could it be…_Phoebe thought as she analyzed what Helga had just said about her feelings toward Rodrigo. However, she decided against on telling Helga what she was thinking and proceeded to stick to the topic.

"Well, just take baby steps, Helga. If you feel comfortable enough to go with him to the party, then I recommend that you do. Remember, this is not a date; this is just two friends going to a Halloween party. Personally, the way you are feeling, this as a betrayal, I think that is good news because it means you are heading in the right direction. It is naturally for you to feel that way. It just takes time and commitment to move on. Once the party ends, we can later analyze how you feel about him afterwards."

"I guess you're right, Pheebs." Helga said, as she sighed.

"So, do you have any ideas on what costume you are going to wear?" Phoebe asked.

"Not a clue." Helga responded.

**Later that weekend...**

Helga met Phoebe, Sheena, Nadine and Rhonda at the new complex mall that was only recently competed about a year ago. It was constructed by Modern Tech Industries (MTI), the parent company of Future Tech Industries, ironically enough.

After Arnold, Gerald and Helga saved their neighborhood and imprisoned Alphonse Perrier du von Scheck, his company floundered as a result of the scandal. In order to stay in business, it was mostly bought by MTI, who is now acting as its subsidiary company. The new complex mall was a project that MTI hoped would not only bring in some profit, but also rejuvenate FTI from its former bad press. It worked. The second it opened, people crowded the mall and were in awe of its high tech security system, modern architecture and vast stores.

After taking some time to tour around the new mall, the teens went to the nearest store that was selling Halloween costumes. They eventually had to try several stores, but slowly and surely, each girl was able to find a costume. Nadine found a sexy ladybug costume. The pants were stockings that slightly revealed the skin of her legs, along with a skimpy skirt. Sheena found a flamboyant, 1970's style costume. Phoebe decided to try something different and dressed up as a rodeo cowgirl. In a rare move, she found a pair of tight jean shorts. It was not too skimpy, but just long enough for her to be comfortable it, while not revealing too much.

Rhonda's and Helga's search for their costume took the longest, as both teens were highly picky. Eventually Rhonda was able to find a beautiful, light gray dress that resembled closely as a Cinderella dress. Despite her wealth and upper class background, Rhonda had never dressed up as a princess or queen type of theme. This is will be the first time. Now that was left, was finding Helga's costume.

"Helga sweetie, do you even have the slightest idea on what you want to dress up for Halloween?" Rhonda asked her.

"No Rhonda, I do not. And don't call me sweetie." Helga warned.

"Well, think of something. Everyone else has chosen their costumes already."

"How about I just dress up as myself, as I initially suggested?" Helga suggested with a smirk.

"Nope, that will not do." Rhonda countered while rolling her eyes.

"Hmmm, Helga, why don't you dress up as a pirate?" Phoebe offered.

"Great idea Phoebe! A pirate costume will look great with that scowling face she always shows." Rhonda said jokingly.

" Sure Princess, and while I'm at it, I can also scowl your face with my left hook!" Helga barked with an angry face.

Undeterred, Rhonda simply said back, "Well at least you sound enthusiastic about it, Helga."

Despite there being several female pirate costumes, Helga was not satisfied with either of them. She felt that they did not show enough...creativity.

After 30 minutes of further searching, Sheena saw another pirate costume and said, "Helga! come take a look at this. Is this something that interests you?"

After scanning it for some time, she said, "Well, let me try it on."

She went to the women's locker room and put it on. When she was ready, she went out to get some feedback.

"Well, how do I look, besides looking stupid?"

The girls initially said nothing, but then Rhonda was compelled to say, "Helga! It's beautiful, I love it!"

"Oh it's so lovely Helga!" Phoebe said.

"Well ladies, I think we found it." Nadine said.

**On the night of the Halloween party...**

Rodrigo looked at his mirror as he was trying out his pirate costume. After the girls bought their costume, Helga told Rodrigo during school what costume she bought. Rodrigo then suggested the idea to Helga if he should also buy a pirate costume in order for both of them to match. Helga did not seem enthusiastic about it, but simply said, "Sure." But then again, what does excite her these days?

Rodrigo's costume did not look like any ordinary pirate costume. It was a hybrid combination between a fully dress pirate suit with a large coat. Although it seemed like mismatch, it actually worked pretty well. Consider it as a formal's pirate costume.

When Rodrigo put on his pirate hat, feeling satisfied, he then went out to meet up with Helga, who had instructed him to meet her at Phoebe's house.

Once he arrived, he was greeted by Phoebe's parents.

"Good evening Mr. Heyerdahl." said Rodrigo, while he took off his hat.

"Good evening Rodrigo. Well, I like your costume! Please come in. The girls are almost done." said Mr. Heyerdahl.

Rodrigo comfortably sat down on the sofa and waited for the girls to come down.

After 5 minutes, Phoebe came down first. She had her cowgirl's hate with stripped pattern shit and that short pair of jeans. With her lasso on one hand, along with her red lipsticks and make up, Rodrigo was surprised at how ...well sexy, she looked.

_Oh my god! Gerald is going to go nuts over her this evening!_ he thought.

"Phoebe you look...sexy" Rodrigo said with a low voice, ensuring that her parents would not hear him.

Phoebe blushed slightly then said, " Thank you Rodrigo. Helga will be coming down soon."

Just then, Helga stepped down and Rodrigo was completely taken aback at how gorgeous she looked.

Helga's pirate costume colour was a combination of red and pink. Similar to his costume, it was hybrid between a typical female's pirate costume from the top, with a Cinderella-like dress from the waist down. In addition, there was an opening on the right side of the dress that revealed her leg. Helga applied very little makeup; only putting on rep lipstick with some mascara on.

As she stepped downward, Rodrigo just stood there, staring at her.

*cough* Helga.

"Sorry Helga, it's just that you look...very beautiful." he finally said.

"Oh umm...thanks, Latino boy. You don't look to shabby yourself." She said.

"Well, we better get going." Rodrigo said to the girls.

Although initially Rodrigo had wished he could have gone with Carmen; after seeing Helga, he was glad that he went with her instead.

_Wow, she is so beautiful! Maybe this night would not be so bad after all._ He thought.

All three teens met up with everyone else at the bus stop. After a short while, the bus arrived and then took them to Rhonda's mansion.

As Rodrigo predicted, when Gerald saw Phoebe's costume, he fell into some kind of googly trance, so much so that Sid had to shake him to get him out of it.

Gerald was dressed as a vampire, in the typical fashion. Sid was dressed as a mad doctor, probably as Dr. Frankenstein. Stinky was dressed as a scary scarecrow, while Lila, who was his date for the evening, was dressed as an old, scary lady who lives on her own in the farm. She had already picked up her costume early on, which is why she never went with the rest of the girls to the mall. Eugene was dressed as Romeo, while his date was dressed as Tybalt.

After several stops, they arrived and got out. Rodrigo was amazed at Rhonda's mansion. It look almost like a palace!

From the onset, it was clear that Rhonda and the house staff went through a lot of work into decorating the house for Halloween. There was a graveyard with many tombstones, often with hands or cadavers rising from the ground. The windows were made to look like the house was old and lapidated. Once inside, there was a mist that permeated throughout the floor. The lights in some rooms flickered on and off, making it seem that someone or something was playing with the electrical cords. Once everyone made it to the party room, it was decorated in such a way that it looked both elegant, but old and scary.

By the time the party got around, it was a little past 7 p.m. On the sides of the room there these big table that held plenty of snacks and drinks for everyone. There were no alcoholic drinks, as Rhonda's parents had explicitly forbidden it.

If Rodrigo was confident in having a good time with Helga as his date from the beginning, they were quickly dashed. From the very beginning, it was made clear that Helga was not very thrilled in being at the party. Apart from never liking to dress up, she was constantly annoyed at her costume as it felt uncomfortable to move around in. To lighten her mood, Rodrigo offered to dance with Helga a few times, but most of the music were a mix of hip-pop, club beats, reggaeton, or rap music that Helga had no desire to dance to. Whatever music was played to Helga's liking, it was not a common occurrence. As a result, Helga ended up spending most of her time either at the snack tables or conversing with Phoebe, or just sat alone at a chair, watching while everyone had fun. Rodrigo would also converse with their friends, but he really wanted to dance and would often leave Helga alone while he went to the dance floor. However, guilt would eventually get the better of him, as he felt that since he asked Helga to go with him to the party, he should at least spend some time with her. Eventually, he was compelled to leave the dance floor and try to converse with her.

_Would it kill her to smile at least? Sheesh! At least pretend that you are having fun._ He thought annoyingly.

He tried to have fun during the time, and there were times when he was enjoying himself. However, he felt that Helga was dragging down his happy mood with her attitude. Despite him wanting to help her, he was really hoping to have fun on his first Halloween party in Hillwood and not have to think about anything else. He was her friend, not her therapist.

By the time it was 9p.m., Rodrigo was getting exasperated. He was no longer able to tolerate Helga's moody behavior. Even their friends seemed to have been avoiding her, or vise-versa. Then, Rodrigo came to her and bluntly asked her,

"Helga?"

"What?"

"Are you even having fun at the party?"

"Best time of my life Latino Boy. Does it look like I am having fun?" she barked back sarcastically, while giving him a frowning face.

"Why are you even here then if you were not going to have fun? Why did you even say yes into going with me?" He asked with a serious tone.

Helga said nothing and merely looked down, feeling guilty in realizing that Rodrigo was regretting in asking her to go with him.

Just then, a song began playing that Helga found to her liking. Not wanting to get into any arguments, he extended his hand and offered to dance with her.

"Come on, let's dance. I know you like this song." He offered.

"Ok" Helga replied back softly.

Once the song ended, Helga said that she needed to use the bathroom. She excused herself and left Rodrigo.

Feeling a bit relieved, Rodrigo then went to the table to grab a drink and some snacks. Then suddenly, Carmen approached her.

"Hola Rodrigo" she said.

"Hola." He responded back with a smile.

Carmen was wearing a skimpy police woman's uniform costume for the party. Her skirt was up so high that you could almost see her butt. She was not known for being a promiscuous girl, but she was known for being a party girl. Rodrigo did not mind. He had an open attitude about girls and their sexuality and did not judge them simply on their looks, nor if they slept around. As far as he was concerned, even the most uptight, strict girl can cheat and be immoral.

"¿Te estas diviritiendo?" (Are you having fun?) She asked him.

"Si ¿Y tu?" (Yes. And yourself?)

"No mucho. La gente aqui no saben como bailar. ¿Donde esta tu cita?" (Not much. The people here don't know how to dance. Where is your date?) She asked.

"Se fue al baño, pero no es mi cita. Somos amigos, no mas." (She went to the bathroom, but she is not my date. We're only friends.) He responded back.

Just then, the DJ switched the music to a raggaeton beat. Both Latinos looked toward the dance floor, then looked at each other again and began smiling at each other.

"¿Quieres bailer?" (Want to dance?) Rodrigo asked.

"Si." (Yes) Carmen responded.

Despite asking Helga to go with him to the party, he felt that he was not obliged to spend time only with her. They were only here as friends and nothing more. Besides, by this point, he no longer cared.

**Meanwhile inside the women's bathroom…**

As Helga was washing her hands, she kept rewinding Rodrigo's two questions that he had asked her: Why did she bother to come and why did she say 'yes' into going with him?

_Crimeny, what am I doing here? Why did I bother coming? I hate dressing up and this dress is uncomfortable. Why did I say yes to Rodrigo to go with him? I could have easily have said no to him. And now, I am ruining his first Halloween party in Hillwood._ She thought.

_Oh yes, now I remember. _She continued to think sarcastically._ It was so I could move on and try to have fun, blah blah blah. *sigh* I am such a bore. When was the last time I had any fun, whether on my own or with anyone?_

_Perhaps I should just leave. Clearly I am not having any fun and I am only making it worse for Rodrigo. There is still time for him to enjoy the night…without me._ She thought sadly.

_No, wait. Was I even trying to have fun? Heck, no! All I was doing all night was just complain about this stupid dress and how horrible the music is. I didn't even give this night a chance. I should at least make a more serious effort. Hmm, yes I should do that. I'll make more of an effort and try to have fun. If that doesn't work, then I can at least say to myself that I tried._ She thought with more confidence.

After she dried her hands, she then walked outside to find Rodrigo.

**Back at the dance floor…**

The second she got out, she started looking for Rodrigo, but was unable to find him. She then saw Sid and Stinky close to one of the snack tables and approached them.

"Hey, have you seen Rodrigo? I can't seem to find him." She asked.

"Ya, he went to dance with a girl just now." Sid replied back, pointing to the direction where they went.

The second she heard that, she felt her blood boil. Without saying a word, and while trying to remain cool, she walked toward the dance floor and from a distance, watched Rodrigo and Carmen dancing.

"I know that look from anywhere." Sid said worryingly to Stinky.

"Same here. Well, it was nice knowing Rod." Stinky said.

For a short while, Helga just watched them dance, with her arms crossed to her chest and frowning, getting more and more angry by the minute.

_What is he doing with her? So I just go to the bathroom for one minute and he goes off to dance with this broad? pfft, typical guy!_

_Crimeny, I sound like a jealous girlfriend. Why am I getting so worked up about this? So what if he is dancing with her? Big deal. We're only friends and not dating, so I should have no reason to be upset. And yet, I still am..._

As she watched Rodrigo dance away with Carmen, she felt this feeling rising, this anger? Was she angry at him and if so for what? He didn't do anything wrong. It couldn't be anger that she was feeling, but she was really bothered that Rodrigo was dancing with someone else. Was it…jealously?

_Am I jealous? What do I have to be jealous about? We are not on a date, and I don't think I had any hopes of it being so. Plus this feeling is not a typical kind of jealousy. I know for a fact that if I saw Arnold doing this, I would have exploded already. I am not furious at Rodrigo, nor at that broad he is dancing with, but I am upset that he is dancing with her...and not with me._ She thought.

She then realized that perhaps this jealous stems from the fact that, with the way he was dancing with Carmen, Rodrigo may have preferred to have asked her to be his date rather than Helga.

_So am I just jealous because of the way he is dancing with her, the way he is smiling, he may have preferred not to have asked me to go with him? I think that's it. I can't blame the guy, though. I have not been particularly excited to be at this party, even with him. So it is no wonder why he feels that he is wasting his time with me._

The thought of the possibility that Rodrigo may not been having fun with her, saddened Helga. She felt that she was wasting his time and effort on her. Once again, she thought about leaving and letting him have his fun.

_What should I do? Should I just leave then? Maybe I should. It is not like Rodrigo is having fun with me and I am not really excited to be here. *sigh* I think I should just do that and call it a night._ She thought sadly, feeling defeated.

As she started to walk way, she suddenly stopped.

_But then, if I do leave, what good will it do? It will only further prove that I am unable to move on. It would feel like I just easily quitted, and Helga G. Pataki does not quit! Plus, it is not like I have been really trying to have fun. Rodrigo is right. People can only do so much to help me, but it is up to me to do most of the work. I have to at least try to have fun. I have to make the effort for myself. I can't just mope around, waiting for some loser to just come and sweep me off my feet; that's not who I am! Rodrigo was kind enough to ask me to come here with him, so I must return the favor. But how?_ She thought.

After some thinking, she thought of something and smiled.

_Hhmmm. I know what may work. Ugh, I don't like being on the spotlight, but I have to give it a shot._

She then walked toward the DJ to say something to him.

As the raggaeton song ended, Rodrigo and Carmen stopped dancing and began to separate their bodies from each other. Rodrigo was feeling rather happy, as he finally felt he was having fun. Just then, a new music was starting to come up, but it was different. However, before he or Carmen could resume their dancing; Rodrigo felt a tap on his shoulder. When he turned around, he saw Helga, smiling at them.

"Mind if I cut in?" She asked. When she turned to look at Carmen, although still smiling, she looked straight at her eyes, indicating that she was not really asking.

Carmen took the hint and with a smile, obliged.

After seeing what just happened, Rodrigo then asked, "Uh Helga, are you OK?"

Helga did not respond, but instead, gently grabbed Rodrigo by his hand and started to slowly pull him toward her.

"So you wanted to dance, bucko?" She rhetorically asked him with her usual smirk. Then, she finished pulling him with an aggressive final touch toward her. "Then let's dance."

By this point, Rodrigo was not sure on what to make of Helga's sudden change. He had seen that smile and confidence before; when they first met and he was not comfortable in seeing it again. Yet, it was different this time. It looked more..sincere. He was not going to lie to himself; he liked seeing this side of her.

_Hmm. I'm starting to see what Arnold saw in her._ He thought.

Smiling back, he said to her, "You got it."

The song that Helga requested was a remix called _'Enrique Iglesias Bailamos Dance Remix'_. It was 3:27 minutes long.

Because of their after school practice, Helga was not shy to allow Rodrigo to lead her, while at various times, she would take charge. She closed her eyes, allow her body to 'feel' the music, readying herself to dance to the beat. Then, they began.

Their moves were a mixture of salsa, with some favorable tango. Helga would sometimes twist her legs from side to side, while her upper body remained in place, straight toward Rodrigo. They would dance for a while, before moving away from each other, only to quickly move back to closer to each other again, allowing their bodies to touch. Sometimes they even let go, performing their own solo moves, while attempting to coordinate with each other.

At one point, Rodrigo grew a bit bolder and he brought her close to him, with her facing outward, in the same direction as he was facing. He started to bent a bit to his right, while also indicating to her to do the same. He then took his left hand and lifted it, along with her hand upward, only to slowly let go and slide it down her arm, down to her side. Initially Helga was taken aback by this, but she trusted him enough to allow him to continue. His left hand continued its downward slide until it reached her thigh and was still going down toward her leg. Then, Helga used her freed left hand to grab it, pull it upward again, then turned to face him and started dancing again, while giving him a little smirk for pulling such a bold move. Rodrigo only smiled back.

Then as the finishing touch, she slide down, with her falling to the floor, in an almost leg split-ballet style finishing move. The crowd furiously cheered at the dancing couple. Even Carmen was impressed and started to cheer. Their friends remained completely silent, still in awe at how Rodrigo and Helga just danced.

After a few seconds, Rodrigo started to slowly lift her back up. Still in a trance, Helga did not notice how everyone was looking at her, giving her this sense of approval and envy that she never experienced before. But then, once she got out of her trance, she started to panic. She started feeling cluster phobic, started to be overwhelmed by the amount of attention people were giving her. She was also feeling uncomfortable at just how physically close she was to Rodrigo. As soon as she was lifted back up on her feet, she took the opportunity and quickly dashed outside of the dancing floor, passing their friends without saying a word and went straight to the balcony, leaving Rodrigo alone and confused by her sudden departure.

_Is she OK? Was this too much for her?_ He thought. He walked towards their friends who were still gazing at him.

"Rodrigo, that was…incredible." Rhonda said, which everyone nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, Rhonda. But let me see if Helga is OK. I think this was a little too much for her." Rodrigo said as he started walking to toward the balcony.

Helga was reeling from their dance. Never had she felt this thrill, this sense of awe and envy that she saw in everyone. But most of all, never had she willingly exposed that much of herself to so many people at one time. She didn't know how to handle it; it was too much for her. She liked it, but she was also overwhelmed by it. It made her happy to dance and to be…admired? She had no intention of being a popular person. All she wants is to be herself, regardless of what other people thought about her. But, she wasn't excited about the attention itself. Rather, it was more of the admiration of what she was doing that was making her happy. It is as if, everyone else was also happy for her.

Rodrigo went into the balcony and slowly approached Helga, who was looking outward.

"Hey Helga, are you OK?" He asked.

Helga instantly turned around and nervously responded, "Ya, just fine Latino boy, thanks hehehe. I was just feeling a little…overwhelmed by everyone starting at me and decided to just get some air."

"Well, you were incredible. Take your time, I'll be inside with our friends." He said.

"No no, I'm OK now, thanks. It's getting a little chilly, anyways." Helga protested.

She felt better, but she was still anxious about the way she was feeling. Nevertheless, she walked with Rodrigo back inside the mansion, knowing that her friends will hound her with questions.

_Oh great. I get to be interrogated by everyone about this, like I'm not already stressed out about it._ She thought as she rolled her eyes.

Yet thankfully, as they approached their friends, they just simply complimented on her performance.

"Way to go Pataki. I didn't know you had it in you." Gerald genuinely said with a smile.

"Thanks Gerald." Helga replied back.

"You were ever so spectacular, Helga!" Lila said next.

"Thanks Lila."

Everyone else then gave their compliments, but none bothered to ask her how and when she became a dancer, much to Helga's relieve.

The rest of the evening was followed by more dancing as people started to enjoy the party again. Helga, feeling more relaxed, actually began to enjoy it…somewhat. But at least she now had a different attitude than previously. Rodrigo was also starting to enjoy his night with Helga. The rest of the evening went by so well that both teens felt comfortable enough to dance to a slow, romantic song; a fact which just almost two hours prior, would have been unthinkable.

Helga's relaxation and comfortability in being with Rodrigo was not lost to Gerald. If anything, he couldn't help but be a little envious. Rodrigo was able to accomplish in two months what he and everyone else, except for Phoebe, had failed to do for years.

_Hm, well this guy does have some skills. I gotta find out how he did it._ He thought.

By the time the party ended, it was 12a.m. and everyone started to leave. The whole gang was barely able to catch the last bus back to their neighbourhood. After everyone got off, Rodrigo decided to walk with Helga back to her house, despite her protest.

"I can walk by myself, you know. I know these streets like the back of my hand." She continued to protest.

"Oh I know. I'm actually more concerned of those people who may have the guts to mug you, because I know that if they do, they will not live to even get arrested. I just want to make sure you get home and not go to prison tonight; call it a peace of mind." He joked with a smile.

_He is so sly…but sweet_. She thought.

"And besides, I'm a little curious to know which house is yours." Rodrigo continued.

"Why? So you can stalk me?" She asked with a suspicious smirk.

"Maybe hahaha. You took the time to find my house phone number, so I think it's only fair that I take the time to know where you live." He hinted.

_Is that really what I did? I went out of my way to find his house phone number, when I could have just waited to see him the next day?_ She thought, but made no hint that she was worrying about it.

She simply shrugged her shoulders and said, "Whatever floats your boat."

After some walking, they finally approached her house.

"Ah, nice house Helga."

"It looks like nice from the outside, yes." Helga hinted, reminding him of her neglectful home life.

"Oh, right. I'm sorry."

"Eh, don't worry about it. I'll live." She said.

"I'll see you on Monday then." She continued. She then went up her house stool to get into her house when Rodrigo said to her,

"Buenas Noches, mi linda pirata." (Good night, my lovely pirate lady.)

"Oh, don't get all mushy on me Rodrigo." She barked at him. "But umm…buenas noches señor." She added with a more soft tone and with a smile.

After she went in and closed her door, Rodrigo then started walking home. After a short while, he felt his call vibrate. As he took out his phone to read it, he realized that it was from Helga.

**Helga: Text me when you get home.**

**Rodrigo: Will do.**

Once he arrived home, he texted her to confirm that he arrived home safely. He took out his costume, put on his pajamas, climbed onto bed and quickly fell asleep. He was exhausted, but it was well worth it.

**The next day…**

On that Sunday afternoon, Helga was just finishing writing her latest letter to Arnold.

_Well football head, I can admit that I had fun at Rhonda's Halloween party this year. Yes, you heard that right, Arnoldo; I had fun. Rodrigo has helped me with that notion, which I am hoping will become more long-term down the road. But, I still plan on retaining my pessimistic moments and no one is going to change that._

She stopped for a moment, and then continued writing…

_But it is not just Rodrigo. Everyone has been also giving a helping hand. By George, I think they may finally have understood me a little better!_

_Well, as it is a nice Sunday afternoon today, I am motivated to go for a little walk to the park. I hope the weather is not extreme for you football head. And I hope you don't use our football shaped head to scare the little ones this Halloween._

_Keeping it real and scary,_

_Helga G. Pataki_


	8. Chapter 8 -Words Speak Louder

**Hi Everyone! Thought I would post a new story earlier, since I won't be around this long weekend. Happy Holidays! So this chapter takes place the first week after Rhonda's Halloween party. What happens to Rodrigo's and Helga's friendship when rumors start to spread about them again? How does it affect them?**

* * *

The first week after Rhonda's party, Rodrigo felt it to be like any other day as he entered school. As he was making his way toward his locker, a friend of his came by to greet him.

"¿Oye ese, cómo estás? (Hey ese, how are you?)

"Hey, chev ¿y tú? (Hey, good and you?)

"Bien. Escuche, hay una fiesta que va ocurrir en dos semanas desde hoy, en un sábado. ¿Puedes venir?" (Good. Listen, there is a party happening two weeks from today, on a Saturday. Can you make it?)

"Si, claro. Gracias por la invitacion ¿Puedo traer alguien con mijo?" (Yes, of course. Thanks for the invitation. Can I bring someone with me?)

"Si, si, mientras es una mujer." (Yes, yes, so long as it is a woman) his friend said while smiling.

"Es una mujer. Gracias Javier. Nos vemos pronto." (It's a woman. Thanks Javier. I'll see you soon)

_Sweet! I'll invite Carmen this time._ Rodrigo thought happily.

When his business class started, he quickly made his way to seat beside Carmen in order to ask her out to the party.

"Hola Carmen ¿Cómo estás? (Hi, Carmen. How are you?) Rodrigo asked her.

"Hola Rodrigo. Bien ¿y tú?" (Hi Rodrigo. Good and you).

"Bien. Mira, un amigo me invitó a una fiesta que va ocurrir en un sábado, dos semanas desde hoy. Estaba pensando si querias ir con mijo?" (Good. Look, I was invited to a party that is happening on a Saturday, two weeks from today. I was thinking if you wanted to come with me?) Rodrigo asked her.

Carmen simply just looked at him with a confused expression; clearly not the face he was expected.

"¿Umm, perdón Rodrigo, pero que dice Helga sobre estó?" (Sorry Rodrigo, but what does Helga have to say about this?"

Now it was Rodrigo's turn to give a confused expression.

"¿Helga? Ella no tiene que ver nada con estó. ¿ Por qué preguntas?" (Helga? She has got nothing to do with this. Why do you ask?)

"Peguntó porque pensé que ustedes son novios." (I asked because I thought you guys were dating.)

"¿Que? Pero te dije en la fiesta que solo somos amigos. Ella no es mi novia. Soy soltéro" (What? But I told you at the party that we are only friends. She is not my girlfriend. I am single.) He responded back.

"No es solo yo que pienso eso. Todo la escuela esta hablando tambien. Hay rumores que ustedes estan saliendo juntos." (It is not just me that thinks that. The whole school is talking about it too. There are rumors that you guys are dating.) Carmen explained.

"Son rumores, no mas. Te estoy confirmando que no estamos saliendo juntos. ¿Tu pienses que voy a engañar a usted y Helga? Especialmente Helga?" (They are only rumors. I am confirming that we are not going out together. Do you think I would actually lie to you and Helga? Especially Helga?) Rodrigo asked, now getting a little irritated.

"Lo siento Rodrigo, pero no me siento comodo en ir juntos a está fiesta." (I'm sorry Rodrigo, but I'm not comfortable in going with you to this party together.) Carmen confirmed.

Rodrigo was stunned. These rumors just cost him a potential date with Carmen! However, not wanting to push her, he only said,

"Ok, no te preocupes." (OK, don't worry about it).

Just then the teacher entered the class and quickly began his lecture for today.

_I cannot believe that because of these stupid rumors, I got shot down by Carmen! Seriously? What else can go wrong to today?!_ He thought bitterly.

When lunchtime came, Rodrigo made his way to their usual sitting area, sat down and started eating; still irritated by Carman's rejection over some rumors, he failed to notice his friends' concerned face.

"Hey Rodrigo, we just heard. Is it true that you and Helga are now dating?" Gerald asked, but with a concerned face.

"No Gerald. We are not dating. Who the hell came up with that stupid rumor? Was it because of the dance that we did together at Rhonda's party? Jeez, it was only a dance!" Rodrigo said.

Now his friends' were even more concerned.

"Rodrigo, if you guys are not dating, then you should really speak with Helga about this before she hears them." Rhonda said to him with a concerned tone.

"Why? She knows the truth. You know that she is not the type of person that cares about what other people think, so I doubt she is going to buy into these dumb rumors." Rodrigo said.

"She will take this rumor personal, Rodrigo. You didn't hear what happened when I invited her to my party a few weeks ago?" Rhonda asked.

When Rodrigo shook his head, Rhonda began to explain.

"When I invited Helga to the party, I told her that as part of the requirement, she needed to bring a date with her. She completely blew up on me and stormed out. I had to go and find her in order to explain to her that by 'date', I didn't mean that she needed to bring an actual date. It could just be a friend. We all know that she and Arnold are in a long-distance relationship, and so even bringing up the topic of dating someone to her, even as a joke is a slap to her face and to their relationship. Which is why you should really try to explain this to her and confirm with her that you did not spread these rumors Rodrigo."

"Rhonda, I really think you are overacting about this. These are only rumors and Helga should know me by now that I would not even try to spread these types of rumors. I know she at least trusts me on that." Rodrigo said.

However, after seeing that his friends were still concerned, he then added,

"Alright, alright. I'll go and talk to her before our history class starts, if that'll make you guys feel better. But I still think you guys are over-reacting."

**Before history class started...**

Rodrigo made it to their history class a little early. The teacher hadn't even arrived yet. As he was making his way to his usual sitting spot, one of the male students who sits in the middle of the classroom, approached him and started asking him about yesterday's homework. As he conversed with him, he had his back turned towards the door and did not see Helga coming in.

Helga entered the classroom quietly but with a furious scowl to her face. She had heard the rumors and she was looking for Rodrigo, ready to explode at him.

_Who the hell does think he is? How dare he spread these rumors about us!_ She thought.

She saw him talking and immediately stormed towards him. Without even knowing that she had entered the room, Helga quickly and violently grabbed his shoulder, twisted it so he can turn around, then grab his collar. She was so furious at him that, without thinking, she took a swing at him. Rodrigo just barely was able to dodge it, only allowing Helga to hit his hat and knocking it off to the ground. She then immediately started yelling at him in front of the whole classroom.

"You idiot! Who the hell do you think you are?! How dare you spread false rumors about us, all because of a few stupid dances?! You think I am just some skank that you can just show off to your pals?!"

_Is she serious about this? Does she actually think I would spread these stupid rumours about us? Is she actually acting like this in front of everyone?!_ Rodrigo thought with extreme irritation.

"Helga! I wasn't the one who spread these rumors..." Rodrigo attempted to explain, but was cut off by Helga.

"Ya, right! Like I'm supposed to believe that! You're trying to make a fool out of me in front of everyone! You men are all the same; a bunch of liars!" She yelled at him while looking at him with deadly eyes.

All the students in the room just stood by silently, still completely in shock at what was happening. If any of them had heard the rumors, then it is confirmed that they definitely were not dating.

By this point, as he was being shaken and humiliated in front of everyone, Rodrigo was losing his patience.

"Helga, I'm telling you the truth! I would never start these rumors. And how dare YOU accuse me of that without even talking to me about this?! Now let me go!" He yelled at him, as he tried to get her off him.

"Or else what, bucko?! What are you going to do about it?!" She taunted him as she shook him violently.

"If anyone is humiliating you, it is yourself. Now let go!"

Rodrigo then lifted his arms and hit her arms from above, causing her to let go, which he then instantly and very hard, pushed her, while also tripping her, causing her to fall. She would have fallen completely to the ground, had it not been for the desks which she managed to grab and lift herself up. Furious, Rodrigo then launch himself towards her, grabbing her shirt, just as she was about to throw a punch at his face, when the teacher came in and yelled at them, stopping them dead in their tracks.

"Rodrigo! Helga! What are you doing?! Stop this, right now!"

The teacher had seen Rodrigo push Helga to the floor, but did not see Helga grabbing him.

"Rodrigo, you know better than to touch someone! You go to the principal's office right now!" The teacher said to him.

"But I didn't do anything. Helga just launched herself at me and started yelling at me and she grabbed me first." Rodrigo explained.

"Right now I said!" The teacher retorted back.

Just then the male student that was talking to Rodrigo spoke up in his defence.

"Sir, Rodrigo's right. Helga entered the room and started acting all crazy and just grabbed him and starting yelling at him about some stupid rumor of them dating. He tried to explain that he didn't cause the rumor but Helga wouldn't listen."

The other students then quickly spoke up as well, defending Rodrigo.

"Fine, both you and Helga are going to the Principal's Office right now."

**At the Principal's Office...**

Rodrigo waited for Principal Miller spoke to Helga first about their fight. After about 20 minutes, Helga exited his office, and then walked outside of the room without even looking at Rodrigo.

"Mr. Castile? Come in." Principal Miller said.

Rodrigo got up and went inside his office and sat down. Principal Miller then asked him what happened, to which he told him everything, the rumors about them dating, how Helga took it personally, and her assuming that he spread the rumors.

"Mr. Castile, despite that Helga started the fight; I was informed that you were about to start a fist fight with her. Is that true?" He asked Rodrigo.

"Yes sir. But it was only for self-defence." Rodrigo explained.

"Be that as it may, you know better than to put your hands on anyone. You are very lucky that Ms. Pataki will not be filing a harassment case against you."

Rodrigo was about to protest, but he decided against it and simply said, "Yes, sir."

"And because you were about to get involved into a fight, you will have detention today with Ms. Pataki. By tomorrow I will make a decision as to what course of action we will do in regards to your behaviour, which may include suspension, as well as a report on your record."

"Seriously? Even if she started it?" Rodrigo bitterly asked him.

"Yes, Mr. Castile. Fighting will not be tolerated in this school, regardless of who started it. Don't think that I am not aware of your previous scuffle with Roger and the other 12th graders a few weeks ago. I let that go only because that student you pushed did not suffer any serious injuries and since you are new to this school, I did not want you to start your first year with us with a bad record. You will not be given a second chance. Do I make myself clear?" Mr. Miller said with a raised voice.

"Yes, sir" Rodrigo said with a soft and defeated voice.

"Ok. Your detention will be in Room# 310 after class. Report there." He said and gave Rodrigo a note to hand in to the teacher that will be supervising the detention in that room.

Rodrigo left the office completely hurt and utterly furious at Helga. He had never been in this much trouble at any of his other schools. The times when he was, they were usually in defence of classmates, or for good causes, such as the lack of books at his former school's library, which he and other students organized an illegal protest for. For that, he merely got a slap in the hand, but was let go with no serious imprint on his record.

_I cannot believe that after only being here for two months, I may get suspended, all because of her! I cannot believe that she just blasted at me like that, accusing me of using her as a trophy! This is the last straw! I've had it with her! She can go to hell!_ He angrily thought.

**Room#310...**

Rodrigo entered the room, gave his detention note to the teacher and sat on the opposite side of the room, far from where Helga was already there. Rodrigo that made up his mind that after detention, he was going to have a serious talk with her and even end his friendship with her.

However, five minutes into their detention, the teacher was called to go help in another detention room.

"I have to go to another for a few minutes. Can I trust you both to still be here when I return?" She asked.

"Yes, ma'am" Rodrigo responded.

Helga said nothing and merely looked away. She had been frowning and scowling the whole time she was there.

Once the teacher left, Rodrigo decided he will just talk to her now. He waited for a few seconds. Then, he immediately stood up, walked closer to Helga, sat down beside her and started yelling her.

"What the hell is your problem, Helga?! Why did you make such a big deal out this?! Do you actually think I would be stupid enough to spread such stupid rumors about us, knowing full well that it was going to upset you?! That is not what friends do! Despite what our friends said, I really did not think that you would be so upset over some stupid rumors and worse, accuse me of them without letting me explain! You never even gave me a chance!"

Helga said nothing and merely looked straight towards the blackboard, still frowning.

"Because of you, I may get suspended for a fight that you freaking started! Because you were not able to control your temper and you simply rushed into stupid conclusions!"

When Helga still said nothing, Rodrigo then lost it.

"Ya great, go ahead; ignore me, ignore what I say, ignore everyone! That's what you do best. No wonder you are alone! That is what you always do! You don't care about anyone other than yourself! You don't care what you just did to me! That is why Arnold left Hillwood. He didn't leave because of his parents; he left to get away from you because he couldn't stand you anymore!"

It took Helga every ounce of her strength not to show just how much that last remark stabbed her right in the heart. The only reaction that she was not able to control were her pupils dilating, which Rodrigo didn't notice. She said nothing. She just continued to sit there, staring at the blackboard, still frowning.

Rodrigo had wanted to tell her that their friendship was now over, that she should never approach him, nor contact him ever again. However, despite how angry he was at her, he could not pull himself to tell her that. Something prevented him from doing so, but he did not know what.

After some silence, Rodrigo simply stood up and walked back to his seat and slugged down.

_This is the worst day of my life! Who the hell has time to put up with her antics! No one! I can't believe I actually tried to be her friend, to help her out, only to get chewed up like this!_ He thought bitterly.

Once their detention ended, Rodrigo instantly got up and walked out, not noticing that Helga started walking the opposite way that he was going. He didn't care.

He took the bus home that afternoon feeling completely demoralized and depressed. His parents were not going to take this well. Chances are they were going to ground him.

When he arrived back, his parents greeted him normally, much to his surprise. He thought the principal was going to immediately call them about his fight. Although relieved, he was still sure that tomorrow Principal Miller was going to call them the next day, after he made his decision to suspend him or not.

Rodrigo went to bed that night knowing he was not going to sleep well, dreading tomorrow's decision.

**The next day...**

Rodrigo went to his home class and sat down without greeting Sid and Harold.

"Hey Rodrigo, tough day today?" Sid asked.

"Ya...tough day." Was all he could respond.

Just then, Principal Miller made an announcement to Rodrigo's home class, asking for him to come to his office.

Rodrigo simply got up and walked towards the exit, with all eyes staring straight at him; as if this was the last time they were going to see him.

When he arrived at Principal Miller's office, he closed the door and sat down.

"Well Mr. Castile, I've made a decision and you will not be suspended for yesterday's fight." The Principal bluntly told him.

"Really? Thank you, sir" Rodrigo said happily.

"Well, don't think me. Helga came by my office yesterday and confessed that she was trying to provoke you into a fight. She told me that you were minding your own business when she came to the room and started making racist remarks at you, and even threatened you. So, based on that confession, as well as with my investigation, you are free to go with no negative notes on your record." He explained while smiling.

Rodrigo just sat there, completely stunned that Helga just took the fall for him. "She confessed?" Was all he could say.

The Principal just nodded.

"Well...thank you, sir."

As he was about to walk out of his office, Rodrigo stopped, turned to face Principal Miller and asked him,

"If I may ask sir, what's going to happen to Helga?"

The Principal was a bit surprised for Rodrigo to ask him that. He hesitated for a while if he should tell him or not. Eventually, he relented.

"Well Mr. Castile, this is not the first time that Helga has been brought to my office. If anything, the last time she was here I made it completely clear to her that this was going to be her last chance and if she picked a fight with anyone again, she will be expelled. Unfortunately, that's what is going to happen."

Rodrigo's heart sank and his stomach made this serious twist that he felt like puking.

_Expelled?! No, no, no, no that can't happen. I can't allow that!_ He thought.

Rodrigo then closed the door behind him, then sat down again and said,

"Sir, please I beg you to reconsider that decision."

"Pardon me?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sir, Helga was upset about those rumors that we were dating. We're not dating. We're actually friends, sir. She got upset because the one person whom she loved left Hillwood two years ago and it has been hard for her since. These rumors unfortunately pressed the wrong button and she took it personally." Rodrigo explained.

Seeing as how the Principal was not convinced, he continued.

"Sir, I know Helga is a difficult person to deal with, but she has...issues at home and a lot of stuff to deal with, more than the typical teenager. I know this because she told me and our friends have also told me this. If you expel her, it will not make things any better. Quite the contrary, it will make things worse for her because then she will really be alone. At least here, she has friends, friends whom she can count on and whom will always be there for her, even me."

"I know that she made those racist remarks and that she threatened me, but I also know that she did not mean them. I know that what she did was wrong and she should be held responsible for it, but I don't think expelling her is the right course of action. I'm sure you can see on her record that despite getting into fights, she is not a delinquent. She is smart and honest. She can be aggressive and tough, but she does not do drugs, she does not steal or hang out with the 'wrong' crowd. I know that deep down she is a good person. She just needs more...time to recognize that."

Seeing as how the Principal was still not convinced, he then added rather jokingly,

"Hey, I'm the guy she swore at and almost punched so at least that counts for something, right?" He said while nervously smiling at the Principal.

The Principal stood motionless. He was really surprised that this teen would defend the person that almost got him suspended. Indeed, he was actually going to suspend Rodrigo, had it not been for Helga's confession. Yet he couldn't dodge from his wisdom. It is true that despite Helga being an aggressive person; she was not a bad kid. She did well at school and most of the fights that she got into were because other kids were provoking her, albeit she would be the one that would strike them first. If anything, the problem laid right there. Helga never tried to defend herself in front of him. If anything, her usual cynical remarks or sarcasms were what often sealed her fate, resulting in her either getting the full blame or partial.

With her fight with Rodrigo, she initially told the principal what happened and that was it, but it was rather vague and he interpreted it as both of them fighting. She made no attempt to explain to him why she did, or why she should be given another chance. It was only when she went to see him the second time did she provide more detail and gave ample reasons for trying to provoke him to fight, although she tweaked so as to make it look like it Rodrigo was completely innocent. She explained to him that when Rodrigo launched himself towards her, he was only defending himself from her. He was not attacking her. The Principal was initially not going to expel her, but after her confession, it was too much for him to let it slip.

After some careful thought, he relented.

"Ok, Mr. Castile, You convinced me. I will give her this one last chance. But as you said, she needs to be held accountable, so I'm afraid she will be suspended for three days. Ok?"

"Thank you, sir. Thank you." Rodrigo said, trying not to sound emotional.

"Well, since you are her friend, can I count on you to get her homework from her class and bring them to her?" Mr. Miller asked.

"Yes, sir, I can and I will." Rodrigo confirmed.

"Very well. Here is a list of her classes. Try going to them and inform the teacher that you are there to get Helga's homework and assignments." He said smiling.

Rodrigo took the list and headed off towards his next class, feeling relieved and just...not happy, but feeling warm.

_I can understand why Phoebe always defences her._ He thought.

As he was about to leave the office, Principal Miller then said to him,

"You know, Ms. Pataki is very lucky to have you as a friend. I hope she sees that."

"I think she does sir. Thank you." Rodrigo responded back with a smile.

Throughout the rest of the day, Rodrigo went to his class, but also stopped by Helga's class to pick up any homework and assignment. What Helga did for him, despite knowing that she was going to get expelled, was incredible. He cannot thank her enough. She truly did care for her friends. It was not as if his other friends back in L.A. would not stand up for him; it is just that he never expected anyone to make such a big sacrifice for him. With Helga, it was different. She really did come through and showed that she really did value their friendship. She was willing to get expelled and sacrifice whatever little happiness she had to make up for what she did to him.

When school ended, Rodrigo made a quick dash towards Helga's locker, knowing that Phoebe was going to be there. As predicted, when he arrived, he saw Phoebe with Gerald, with the former looking visibly upset.

"Hey guys." Rodrigo said, trying not to smile too much.

"Hey Rodrigo. Have you heard? Helga got expelled over yesterday's fight. Apparently that was her last chance." Gerald said.

"I know. Principal Miller told me. She took the fall for me guys. She told the principal that she started the fight and was provoking me. She took the full blame for it and she got expelled for that. But I managed to convince him to give Helga one more shot. So he reversed the expulsion for three days of suspension. I just picked up all of her homework and assignments so I can tell her the news." He explained.

"Really?! That's wonderful news, Rodrigo. How did you manage to convince him to give Helga another try?" Phoebe asked him, now smiling for joy.

"I told him that Helga is not a bad person. She well in class, doesn't mix with the wrong crowd. She just has issues. Plus that fact that I would defend her, despite what she did, made it more convincing." He explained.

Phoebe was so thankful that she launched herself towards Rodrigo and gave him a big hug, to which he responded back.

"Thank you Rodrigo! You have no idea that this means for Helga, and to me!" She said.

"You did well, kid. I only used to say this to one person, but you are also one bold kid." Gerald said smiling.

Despite his conflict with Helga, even Gerald was a bit saddened by the news of Helga being expelled. He knew as well that this was going to make things worse for her, but was glad that Helga was getting another chance.

"Thanks, guys. I'm happy too."

As Rodrigo rode the bus home, he kept on rewinding what Principal Miller to him about Helga. However, he then thought of something that made his smile disappear.

_What if Helga does not want to be friends anymore? Just because she stood up for me, does not mean that she will want to have anything to do with me, especially after what I said to her about...Arnold._ He thought sadly.

_I can't give up. Helga did not, so I'm not going to give up. Even if she doesn't forgive me, I'll earn her forgiveness and trust again, for as long as it takes. I'm not going to give up on her._

Once he got off, he walked towards her house, went up the stool and knocked on the door. As he waited, he dropped his smile and thought about what he was going to say to her.

_Should I just say thank you? Should I just hug her? Is she even going to allow me to talk to her, or will she just slam the door at my face?_ He thought. _She'll probably just slam the door at my face._

Just then, the door swung open and Helga appeared which, to her surprise, saw Rodrigo standing there.

"Hey" he said.

"What do you want Rodrigo?" She coldly asked him, whiling frowning at him.

"Principal Miller told me what you said to him after detention. I know what you did for me." He said.

"Ya, so?" she asked defensively, but Rodrigo was undeterred.

"I spoke to him and I got him to reverse his decision to expel you from Hillwood High school. You won't have to move to another school, but you are suspended for three days unfortunately."

Helga then eased up a bit, surprised at the revelation. She dropped her frowning face for the time being.

"Listen, it's a little cold out here, can I come in for a second?" Rodrigo asked.

Helga stepped aside and allowed him to enter her house. She then closed the door behind him. She was home alone. Big Bob was still at work. Miriam had actually gone for a job interview at a local TV station and Olga went to another acting interview.

After some initially silence, Rodrigo then asked her,

"Why did you do it?"

"I think you know why" she calmly responded back with her arms crossed.

_Ya, I do know why. That was a stupid question._ He thought.

Again, there was silence between them. Rodrigo thought about what else to say to her. He knew she was not an emotional type of person, at least not on the outside, but he wanted to let her know just how much this meant to him.

"I just wanted to say thank you for what you did. You didn't have to do it, especially if this was your last chance. I just wanted to let you know how much I really appreciate what you did. No one has even done that for me before. I'm truly sorry that I doubted how much you cared about our friendship. And I'm really sorry about what I said about Arnold...leaving you."

Rodrigo started to look away, as guilt started to overwhelm him, knowing full well that that remark had hurt her deeply. But he gathered what strength he had, sucked it up and continued with what he had to say.

"I knew that was a serious low blow but that's why I said it. I wish I could say that I didn't mean to hurt you, but at that time, that's what I was trying to do. All I can say is that I'm really sorry for saying that. I don't expect you to forgive me right away, but I wanted to let you know that I will fight every inch in earning your forgiveness and trust again." He said.

Yesterday, after he made that remark, Helga had to use every ounce of strength and more, to allow her to go home without falling into pieces. Once she arrived home, she quickly entered her house, went up stairs, went to her room and collapsed on her bed, sobbing. She knew the real reason why Arnold left and it wasn't because of her. She knew Rodrigo only said that to her because he was angry and he did not mean it. Yet, it was still a knife to her heart, especially if this came from someone whom she considered a friend. It still hurt. Yet, she also knew that she had it coming. She couldn't blame Rodrigo for saying that, not after what she did to him in front of everyone, accusing him of spreading rumors without even giving him the benefit of the doubt. Her anger caused this; it almost cost her a friend.

"You're right; that did hurt." She said while coldly looking at him. But then she made a little smile and added, "But I guess I can forgive you for that. I'm...sorry too."

To his surprise, Helga then extended her hand. Rodrigo, getting a bit overwhelmed, and despite that she was not a hugging person, quickly just launched himself towards Helga and gave her a big hug. Because he wrapped his arms around hers, she wasn't able to hug him back.

For the second time, his hug caused her heart to skip a beat, but for the next few seconds, she made no attempt to get out. Actually, it felt...nice, it felt warm. All she did was smile at the gesture.

After 5 seconds, she gently started pushing him away and said,

"Alright alright, enough of the mushy stuff. I forgive you; you forgive me, so let's just move on."

"Ok." He responded back, smiling. "Oh I almost forgot. I managed to go to all of your classes and get your homework and assignment for today."

He went to his backpack and got out all of her papers and gave them to her.

"Well then, Latino boy, I guess your punishment for getting me suspended is to get my homework and assignment for the next three days." She said jokingly with a smile.

"I plan on doing that. It's the least I can do." He responded back.

Again, silence started permeating the house.

"Well I guess I better get going. I got homework. I guess I'll see you tomorrow after school, Helga." He said.

"Ok"

He grabbed his pack and starting exiting the house. Just as he was going down the stoop, Helga then said to him but nervously,

"Hey, umm...do you want to do our homework together?"

Rodrigo turned around and then jokingly asked her, "you mean as a date?" while smiling.

_This guy really likes to push things, doesn't he?_ She thought.

"Ya sure, whatever floats your boats." Helga responded back while rolling her eyes.

"Sure."

With a smile, he then walked back inside her house.

**Later the evening...**

_Well football head that was the whole ugly story of today's event. I'm now stuck at my room for three full days, with boredom threatening to drive me insane. I can't say this was my proudest moment, but you know just how much of a sensitive topic it is for me. Apart from the fact that no one else knows about our relationship status, I guess it is also because I have never really come to terms with it. Every mention of the word 'dating' to me was a reality check, a fact that up until now, I was unwilling to admit. But after what happened with Rodrigo and what he did for me after, I knew that I was no longer able to ignore it. I have to accept it for what it is._

_Speaking of which, I was surprised at what Rodrigo did, in convincing the principal to give me another chance. I, for sure thought that I had to go to another school, much to my dread. Thankfully, I can return to that old dump of a school and graduate. Three days suspension is a small price to pay._

_In a weird way, despite the huge risk and the hurt it caused, I am glad this happened because it showed me that Rodrigo is a person whom I can count on. I know that he was furious at me, and he had every right to, but he pulled through, just like I did for him. It strengthened our friendship. But I'm certainly going to make sure we do not go through that again! God that was an emotional roller coaster!_

_I hope you are keeping yourself busy on your end; I will try and do the same before I end up killing myself._

_Your imprisoned mate,_

_Helga G. Pataki_


	9. Chapter 9 - Ignoring Her?

**Hi everyone! After the whole dating rumor fiasco, Rodrigo decides to take it easy and take a break from Helga, figuring this is what is needed at the moment. But what does Helga think about this? And what secret will she reveal to him?**

* * *

Rodrigo kept his promise in getting all of Helga's homework and assignments from her classes for the next three days during her suspension. Sometimes they would go for short walks after around the block just to catch up and to ensure Helga does not go insane after being cooped up in her room all day, if the weather permitted.

Upon her first day back, to her surprise, she was happily greeted by her friends, who welcomed her back with open arms, but not literally. Even Gerald, offering his hand, welcomed her back. After the whole dating rumor fiasco, things finally quieted down throughout the school. No longer were the students talking behind Helga's back about whether she was dating Rodrigo, much to both teens' relieve. Rodrigo had decided that once Helga returned, he would take a break and would focus on other areas of interest. He felt he deserved it and it was necessary, just for things to return to normal.

After first, Helga noticed Rodrigo's absence and initially did not worry about it. If anything, she also preferred it. However as the days went by, she realized that Rodrigo had not been showing up as much even to hang out during lunchtime, neither with her, nor their friends. Sometimes he was nowhere to be found, which resulted in her having to text him to find out where he was. He would respond to any calls or text she sent to him with no issue and they even agreed to continue practicing their dance after school, but that was it.

It soon dawned on Helga that she felt that Rodrigo was avoiding her. That was not the problem though. What was bothering her about this is that it actually bothered her, yet she couldn't understand why.

_What does this guy mean to me? Why am I so bothered that he is avoiding me, or at least I think he is avoiding me? But at the same time, I don't think he is. He answers his calls and text and we still talk and meet up after school like it is no issue. He just seems distant though._ She thought.

_I shouldn't be surprised really. The whole dating fiasco must have really shaken him up and I guess he just wants his space for now. I should understand that, but it is still bothering me! I was just as bothered with Phoebe when she started doing the same thing. I knew why she was doing it and I understood it, but I was still bothered by it. Worse, with Rodrigo, it is only more intense, more hurtful? I don't know! Ugh, crimeny, why am I such a basket case?! _

Despite her frustration, she decided to respect Rodrigo's wish to be left alone. After all, it is probably best if they did take break, especially for her.

With Rodrigo, he was not avoiding her, but he was keeping his distance. The whole dating rumor scandal proved too much for him to handle. He was still willing to be Helga's friend, but he had concluded that trying to be her friend came at a high cost. It bothered him that he felt that way, but he nevertheless had to accept that his friendship with Helga was becoming stressful, and they were only friends! There had been severe high and lows between them, with little leeway for stability and just genuine enjoyment for each other's company. If anything, he had been fighting the urge to side with Gerald and everyone else's behavior on how distant they were to her. He just felt a little time to himself and doing the things he enjoyed doing was good for him. After a while, they can perhaps start improving on their friendship, but for now he just wanted to be left alone.

_Hmm, I should not have judged Helga for her habit of disappearing days on end. I'm doing the same thing. Maybe that is why she does that; she just wants to be alone with her thoughts._ He thought.

There was also another reason why Rodrigo was keeping his distance. Despite the major breakthrough in Helga telling him about her family situation, Rodrigo felt that she was still not opening up to him...about anything! Despite making small talks about music, dancing and other small areas, Helga rarely showed any real interest in having a full-long conversation with him. He had to constantly either ask her about something or choose a topic of discussion just to get her to talk, yet even that sometimes proved insufficient, as Helga would often respond with a simply 'Yes' or 'No' or sometimes not at all. This became even more frustrating, considering that Rodrigo was somewhat introverted, and having to constantly talk first was proving to be hard for him.

He had also noticed that Helga often looked distracted, as if she was thinking about something or someone. Yet the times when he asked her about that, her only response was 'nothing'.

In the end, the enter enterprise of trying to get to know Helga was becoming tiresome. Whatever information he did have of her, the majority of it came from their friends.

Frustrated, Rodrigo went to ask Phoebe to inquiry on this, but all she said that was 'Helga is a carefully guarded person and it will take time to open up.'

_Take time to open up? I wasn't asking about anything personal or deep. I just want to know about the little things first, like what's her favorite color, or is she into politics, why doesn't she like history, Who is her favorite author etc.? This is driving me insane!_ He thought bitterly.

Several days into their 'break', during lunchtime, Helga was walking down the hallway on the first floor when she stumbled upon a group of students, clambered together while listening to reggaeton. Curious if perhaps Rodrigo was there, she walked towards the group, gently pushed her way into them and saw Rodrigo dancing away with Carmen.

Ever since the dating rumor died down, Carmen began to pay more attention to Rodrigo. Although it is not known if they were dating, the way they were dancing together showed that there definitely was an aura of emotional and sexual attraction.

Helga looked on as she started to experience the same feeling she had felt when she saw Rodrigo dancing with her at Rhonda's party; this anger, jealous type of emotion. She had initially thought that it was only due to Rodrigo regretting in asking Helga and not Carmen, as a form of rejection. But now that she is experiencing it again, it confused her even more.

_Again with this feeling? Why am I feeling angry that he is dancing with her? So what? He is not my boyfriend, he is single, so he can do whatever he wants, yet this is making my blood boil!_ She thought.

It wasn't just the dancing that was irritating her. It was also the way Rodrigo was smiling. He looked happy dancing with Carmen, happy to be away from her. It soon became clear that there was something more going on between them then at first realized. Their grinding became more intense, more physical. She could see it by their facial expression that it was a very sexualized experience. As it got more and more intense, their heads started to get closer and closer, until their foreheads and noses were touching each other. Realizing what was about to happen, Helga watched helplessly as to what was about to unfold in front of her; they were about to kiss…but it never happened. The music ended and despite still being close, they eventually separated themselves.

Right when it ended, Helga simply walked away, unsure on how she felt about this. She was simultaneously experiencing conflicting emotions. She felt angry and jealous at just seeing him dance with someone so closely, she feels hurt and lonesome that he has been avoiding her, yet she does not harbor any strong affection towards him. Although she is glad when she sees him, she has not experienced any of the usual emotional reactions she would experience if she liked him; getting into a love trance, having butterflies in your stomach etc.

Then, another emotion that she had just started experiencing popped up: sadness. The possibility of Rodrigo having romantic feelings for someone else saddened her.

_It's probably just because everyone is finding that special someone, while I'm still clinging to a past that has no future. That, or now that Rodrigo is dating Carmen; he will have less time to hang out._ She thought.

She thought about speaking to Phoebe about this, but she reframed from doing so. She felt that she had been too much of a burden to her best friend and did not want her to get entangled with anymore drama. There was only one option left for her; talk to Rodrigo.

_Pfft, ya right! Like I'm going to talk to that guy about my feelings about him! 'Oh Rodrigo, I'm confused about my emotions. You see, I like you, but I don't like you. You make me angry and jealous when you dance with someone, but I also don't get those butterflies in my stomach when I see you, blah blah blah'._ She mockingly thought to herself.

Seeing as how this was going nowhere, she decided to put these thoughts aside and just concentrate on getting by today.

**The next day…**

Rodrigo and Helga had just finished their after school dancing lessons. After more than a month of practicing, Helga has gotten a lot better and more confident with her moves. Actually, it got up to the point where Rodrigo felt he had nothing else to teach her, but he reframed from saying anything to her, lest she may decide to put an end to their practice.

After packing up their belongings, they exited the theatre and locked the door when Rodrigo spoke and said,

"Hey, did you want to grab a bite to eat?"

Helga was surprised by the sudden invitation.

"Umm…sure, but you're buying. I didn't bring any money." She said.

"Sure. Do you know good areas around this school where we can go?" he asked.

"Wow, you sure know how to take a girl out on a date by not having a clue on where to eat." She said sarcastically with a smirk.

"I actually would be prepared, if this was a date." He responded back jokingly, which then he stuck his tongue out at her.

"Real mature Rodrigo. Alright, I know where we can go."

They settled on a small burger joint not far from their school. After ordering their meals, they sat down to eat.

After some minutes, Helga was debating on whether to bring up the question if he was dating Carmen, or anyone for that matter.

_Should I do it, or not do it? Yes or no? This is the best time to ask him; we are alone and not going to be bothered. No, No, it is none of your business and besides why do you care who he is dating? Crimeny , just ask him already!_ She thought.

"I saw you yesterday dancing with Carmen." She confessed.

"Really? How come you didn't say hi?" He asked.

"You guys were really into each other and I didn't want to interrupt your moment like last time." She said while she smirked.

She then asked the big question, "Are you guys…"

This sudden interest in his personal affairs was not lost to Rodrigo. Based on his talks with other people and with her, she would rarely ask these kinds of questions. He knew full well that Helga was not a gossiper and often did not care about other people's personal affairs.

_So why start now?_ He thought. He decided to leave her hanging for a moment and play around.

"Who's asking?" He asked her casually.

"Doi, I am. Why? Is it a secret?"

"Maybe" he responded back with a smile.

"Oh jeez, just tell me! Relax; this is not going to become another rumor, if that is what you're afraid of." She assured him irritatingly.

He then relented.

"No, we're not together." Rodrigo responded.

"Oh, but you guys seemed really close while dancing." She stated.

"You North Americans mistake that just because we get physically close, it does not mean that we are romantically into you." He explained.

"But you were not that far off from your assertion. I was interested in her and when the rumors died down, we started spending more time together. However, I realized that she was not the one for me. I found that we had…too much in common. We were so similar that I think I would have become bored." He continued to explain.

Helga then instantly thought of the time when Arnold was infatuated with Lila. After he and Helga started dating, Arnold came to the same realization that had he had succeed in dating Lila, he would have become bored with her. They were way too similar for them to have lasted.

Needless to say, Helga felt…relieved, if not happy that Rodrigo was not interested in Carmen.

"So _what_ are you looking for?" she asked him.

Rodrigo was trying to figure out why she is all of a sudden interested in whom he is dating or interested in. He does not know if she is just trying to have a conversation, or just trying to get to know him, or trying to get some useful information from them. Yet at the same time, he didn't want to jeopardize the possibility for them actually getting to know each other, so he let it go, for now.

"Not sure, really. I guess someone different. I can tell you why it would not have worked out with Carmen. Perhaps that can give you a better idea." He said.

"Carmen is beautiful and smart and is an outgoing person. But she is a stereotypical Latina. She is very feminine, wears make up and does her nails, which I honestly find it annoyed if they over do it. She may be smart, but I would not consider her an intellectual. She goes to Church, which I don't have a problem with, but it is an issue with her and her family, and she only hangs out with other Latinos, which can make her a little narrow-minded when it comes to other cultures, if not ignorant."

"Does race play a role?" She asked him.

"Race or ethnicity? No. Culture? Yes" he responded back.

"So you like someone that keeps you on your toes?" She asked him while trying not to smile.

_I hope she is not talking about herself because she really keeps me on my toes._ He thought.

"Ya, I guess." He responded back. "I think that you need both the opposite and the things in common. You need the opposite to attract each other, but the things you have in common, that will ensure you guys remain together. Too much in either end will inevitably result in a broken, if not an unstable relationship."

"Ah, Aristotle's concept of the Golden Mean." she stated.

"You got it." he responded back with a smile.

"Now it's my turn. Why Arnold?" He asked her.

_Oh crap! Nice going, Helga_. She thought while mentally slapping herself in the face.

"Whhatt do you mean 'why him'?" She asked him nervously.

"I mean, why did you fall in love with him? What is it about this guy that you like so much about?"

"Oh look at the time, it's getting late. We'd better get going." She said with a nervous smile as she quickly stood up and started leaving.

Rodrigo was not finding this amusing. He sighed, got up and chased after her.

"Whoa whoa, Helga, we are just talking, that's it. I'm not here to judge you." He tried to assure her.

Helga was not having any of it. She ignored him and continued walking with Rodrigo still walking right behind her.

"Look if you don't want to answer that question, that's fine. We can talk about something else."

Again Helga said nothing and continued walking.

"Helga, stop! You don't get to ask personal questions and then not expect to be asked in return." He said with a serious tone.

That finally stopped her in her tracks. She then turned to face him.

"Look, I'm not an idiot. You are a strong and independent girl. You don't take crap from anyone. Yet this Arnold guy seems to be the only person who can make you so nervous that you would fall to your knees just by you looking at him, metaphorically speaking. So if that's what you trying to hide, I already know. That's not a secret." he said.

"Up to that point, it doesn't really interest me. What does interest, if not concern me is that despite it being more than two years, you still behave as if he just left yesterday. I am only asking what is it about him that would make you feel that he is your 'everything', as you put it?"

By instinct, Helga was starting feel her defensive mechanism getting the better of her. She tried to resist it, but she was unable to. She had always hated being vulnerable to Arnold; she was not going to allow herself to be vulnerable to someone else.

"You don't know what you are asking, ok? Why do you care?!" She retorted back with a raised voice.

"I care because I am you're friend. And don't tell me again that we're not friends. You may not know or even want to realize it, but this infatuation with this guy is what is causing you to be distant with everyone, even Phoebe. It is what's causing you to be alone and not move on. I know you guys are in a long-distance relationship, but even with the assurance that he is still your boyfriend, you act as if you lost him."

_I did lose him…_She thought sadly, trying not to coke up as she yelled at him,

"That's none of your business Rodrigo! I'm sorry I asked you all those 'personal' questions, OK? I was just trying to get to know you!"

Despite her nervousness and aggression coming up, Rodrigo remained calm throughout.

"Helga, What do you think I am trying to do? I want to get to know you too. I want to know who this person is deep down, under that damned tough exterior that you always pull. I know there is way more to you than that, but you won't let me. You won't let anyone get near you. I don't expect you to tell me anything deep and personal, but I do expect you to tell me something just so I can understand you a bit better. Just the little things." He explained.

By now, Helga was getting visibly upset. Her anxiety and nervousness was giving away towards anger, but she was able to restrain it.

"Rodrigo…just let me go home ok? Let's call it a night and forget this ever happened." She said while looking straight at his eyes.

Rodrigo could only look in absolute astonishment at just how upset Helga was getting over this. She was acting as if he was hurting her.

_Why is it so hard for her just talk? She is never going to open up to me. Why do I even bother?_

Despite wanting to continue, Rodrigo relented and said, "OK"

The walk back to the bus lane and the bus ride home was long and silent. Neither attempted to talk to the other. There was nothing else to say really. To make matters more depressing, the evening was very cloudy and windy, with slight drizzles from time to time.

Once they got off the bus, Rodrigo said,

"Look, I'm sorry if I pushed the wrong button this evening. That was not my intention at all. All I wanted was to just talk and get to know you more, that's it."

When Helga said nothing, Rodrigo then simply said,

"Good night Helga." And started walking away towards his house.

Helga just looked on in deep sadness as he continued walking away. After a short while she started walking home, deep in thought.

_I have to talk to Dr. Bliss about this._ She thought.

**The week after, at Dr. Bliss' office…**

Helga had been seeing Dr. Bliss one session per week since she was nine years old. Only Phoebe and eventually Arnold knew about this. Needless to say, the therapy sessions have been helpful, especially when Arnold left. Going to see Dr. Bliss during those dreadful times were crucial in ensuring Helga got the much needed help and support that she needed. Often times, Dr. Bliss had to physically hug and comfort Helga when she saw her deteriorating condition. Even at times Dr. Bliss was barely able to maintain her posture and professionalism during that period. She never seen someone so sad and lost for losing someone.

Helga waited patiently for her appointment. She struggled to occupy her mind before succumbing into remembering that evening's encounter with Rodrigo. Things did not worse, but they did not improve between them. She continued to feel that he was avoiding her, now more than ever. If she had any reservations about that, after that evening's debacle, it was now confirmed.

Just then the door opened and out came her recent patient. Dr. Bliss came out and greeted Helga.

"Helga, please come in."

Helga got up, went inside and sat down on the couch.

"So how have you been doing lately?" Dr. Bliss asked.

"*sigh* not good Doc. I'm having problems with a recent friend and I need help."

"OK, why don't you give me some background so I can understand better?" She asked.

Helga then proceeded to tell to Dr. Bliss the whole story between her and Rodrigo, including her ambivalent feelings towards him, the dating rumor scandal, and how she is not able to just talk to him, especially about anything personal.

"I'm not sure what to make of this. I don't know why this is a big deal for me. I want to be friends with him, but I'm not able to. He's right, I don't let him in."

"Well Helga, there are two areas that we can cover. One would be your ambivalent feelings towards him, while the other is you wanting to open up to him. Unfortunately, we only have time to cover one of them. Which one do you want to cover today?"

"Opening up to him." She confirmed.

"Ok, well let's start by discussing why do you feel you want to be friends with him? Take your time." She asked.

"I feel that he can understand me, I guess. As I said, he reminds me of Arnold. He wants to help me and he wants to understand me. He sees in me more than just a tough, aggressive girl. And, he is also more mature than the others. And just like Arnold, despite how many times I try to push him away, he keeps coming back to help me. So, I guess I have the confidence that he can understand what I go through and will not push it aside as if it is not a big deal. Plus since I have been a little distant with Phoebe, I have been feeling…alone. So I guess that is why I want to be friends with him." She explained.

Dr. Bliss knew that there was a connection between the two areas, but for now she will just focus on helping Helga to open up to her friend.

"And why do still feel that you have to push him away and not open up to him?"

"I never liked showing my vulnerability, even to Arnold. I don't trust people with that part of me, only Arnold and that was only after years of bullying him."

"And that's what I don't understand. I understand with Arnold, I was in love with him, so it is obvious why I was so defensive. But with Rodrigo, I don't know why I am still defensive against him. I'm not giving him my heart, my soul to him. He just wants to get to know me, but I won't open up." She continued.

"Does he make you nervous?" She asked.

"Yes. He has this mysteriousness around him, which I like, but it also makes me nervous because it makes me unable to trust him. We have been taking dancing lessons together after school and the way he dances with me sometimes, also makes me nervous in a way that I have not felt since Arnold."

"Yet, he has proven that he can be trusted. I mean, our other friends trust him with their personal information. I heard from Phoebe that Gerald is trusting him almost as much as Arnold. It's like I keep coming with excuses not to trust him."

"Well Helga, there is a big difference between you trusting Arnold and Rodrigo, and it is not just based on romantic feelings. You have known Arnold since you were three years old, so he would have proven to you countless times that he can be trusted. With Rodrigo, you have only known him for two months. So don't be too concerned if he has not yet gained your full trust."

"I guess."

"It is OK to be a little guarded, but you should also just take baby steps. That is how friendships are formed. You do not have to reveal your personal affairs so quickly. You can provide your personal opinions about a certain topics, such as politics, or who is your favorite artists etc. That information alone does tell you a lot about that person. But if I may ask, what do you two talk about?"

"I guess that's the problem, very little. We talk about music, dancing and we have talked about some of our personal lives. He has told me about his issues with his extended family and how they have ostracized him because he is an atheist and I told him about my family issues. But other than that, our conversations have not progressed. It is as if there is gap between us and it is only getting bigger. Whenever he tries to ask me about something, I usually just give him a small remark or if it is too much of a personal question, I may redirect it back to him or avoid it all together." Helga said.

"Whenever we do talk about something deep or personal, it is usually after we have a huge fight. I have not been able to just sit down with him and just talk without getting upset. We actually tried that about a week ago. I asked him if he was going out with someone and everything was ok, until he asked me about Arnold, then I got very nervous and left. He chased me and tried to get me to talk to him, but all we did was argue until I almost had to beg him to stop." She continued.

"Then this goes back to what we have been discussing since you started here. You are in two extremes where you either say nothing or you say it very explicitly with a burst of energy. Is there a place or an area that calms you down?" Dr. Bliss asked.

"Yes, when I dance. It calms me down." She responded back.

"Well, try doing this: Go somewhere with him where you will not be disturbed. Then put on a music that calms you down and just talk. If you need to, make it clear to him to not ask you any questions that may make you uncomfortable or nervous."

Helga thought about it for a moment and realized its potential. Indeed, the times when they did talk with no tension was during their after school dancing lessons.

"That could work."

"Now, I also want to ask you something. How do you think Rodrigo feels about you not trusting him?"

"I know it bothers him. It has been stressful for him as well. I'm actually surprised he has still managed to stick around." She responded back.

"And why do you think that is?"

"Because he cares about me, I guess."

"Yes, but there is also something else. I know this is a bit extreme, but just listen. How would you feel if Arnold told you that he did not trust you?"

"I cannot really blame him for that. But I would find that hurtful that he wouldn't trust me. Even anything, I would feel that I would be first person that he can trust." Helga responded back.

"I think that's what Rodrigo also feels. I think he wants to gain your trust but you are not letting him. So I believe that he must feel hurt that despite all his efforts, it amounts to nothing. You have already told him about your family and you trust him enough to dance with you. And yet, he must feel that even that is not enough." Dr. Bliss said.

Helga took a long pause to reflect on that. In the same way as she had been oblivious about Olga's feelings about their family, Helga had not considered how much this has been hurting Rodrigo.

"Ok, I get your point, doc. I'll try that out." She said.

**Two days later…**

As Rodrigo was making his way to his locker after classes ended, he was still reeling over what happened with Helga at the burger joint. All he wanted to do was talk to her, to just have a relaxing conversation about whatever. Yet it is like pulling teeth when trying to speak to her. She rarely gives her opinion unless she is usually trying to make a smart remark. She won't talk about her private affairs. So, what is there left to talk about?

He went to his locker, opened it to grab his stuff and radio. He was surprised that Helga had texted him earlier that day, asking if they can do their dancing lessons today. Since their argument at the burger joint, Helga had cancelled all of their schedule dancing lessons, much to his dismay. Yet he reframed from trying to convince her otherwise. He decided to give her some space. He closed his locker, which suddenly revealed Helga standing right behind it, so much so that he jumped.

"Jeez, Helga! Stop doing that!" He cried out.

"Boy you are jumpy today." She said with a smirk on her face.

"Only when you sneak up on me like that." He retorted back.

"You ready?" She asked him.

"Ya, let's go." He said.

_At least she is in a good mood today._ He thought.

As they made their way into the theatre, Helga was preparing herself. She had thought long and hard about what she was going to say to him, but she felt that this was the only way for her to open up. She had to take the risk, she has to be vulnerable.

For the last two days, she had tried to come up with topics to talk with him. However, either these were topics that she had no interest, nor a opinion of, or they were too personal to discuss. That was the problem. Her main focus and area of interest for the last two years had been her love and obsession with Arnold. Everything else was secondary, if not nonexistent. She realized to her dismay that she had no real interest in any area. Her entire existence since she was three years of age had been around Arnold. Yet even when he left, she felt unable move on in other areas that would interest her. She couldn't even discuss with Rodrigo her love of writing poetry or short stories because she had not written anything for more than two years! There was really nothing about herself that she found interesting.

Upon realizing this, Helga almost fell into despair. She not only felt utterly boring in herself, but also felt that she did not warrant anyone's attention or interest in her, even as friends. It then dawned on her that there was one particular subject that she could discuss with Rodrigo. However, it was of the most sensitive topic, one she had guarded viciously from anyone.

Throughout that night, she struggled to decide if she should tell him or not. She walked back and forth throughout her room, deep in thought. She then eventually ended up writing down a list of pros and cons to visually see if it was worth letting one of her most guarded secrets out. Upon looking at the list, she finally made the decision that she would tell him, albeit with some reluctance.

She thought about asking Dr. Bliss in their next week's session if she should go through with this. However, she knew that the doc would never tell her directly to go for it or not. This was her choice. She had to weigh out the pros and cons and she had to ultimately take this step; if not with Rodrigo, then with someone else. But there was no one else. Finally, she decided to just go through with it the next day.

_This is harder than I thought it would be_. She thought. Her hands were getting sweaty and cold. Her stomach was turning, but she had thought this through and she was not going to back down.

Once they entered the theatre, they closed and locked the doors and made their way towards the stage. Once on it, she began to talk,

"Before we start, I have something to say to you...or rather, something to show you." She said nervously.

"OK. What?"

"First, let me put on some music, it'll help me relax." She said.

She plugged on the radio, put a CD inside, when the first song played, she adjusted the volume to ensure it was not too loud enough.

"Sit" she told him.

Rodrigo sat down without saying a word. She sat down close to him. He could instantly see that she was really nervous. But before she could say anything, Rodrigo cut her off.

"Listen Helga, whatever it is that you are going to show me, you don't have to do it if you don't want to. I do not want to put you in that position again." He said.

"I know. But this time, this is my choice that I am making it for myself. I want to show this to you because this will not only help you understand me, but also help me open up." She responded back.

"Before I do, you must swear to never reveal this to anyone; not our friends, not your family, or your friends back home. Got it?" she said.

"Ok, I promise." he said.

"Even if you are kidnapped and horribly tortured and your family is forced to watch you, you must swear to never, EVER, reveal this to anyone." she said.

"Umm OK, yes I promise, Helga." he said worryingly.

"Even if they mutilate you and cut off your genitals in front of your family while you are still alive..."

"Helga! I get the point, I won't say this to anyone, on pain of death. You don't have get so gruesome." he retorted back. Then extended his hand and said, "I promise."

Helga shook his hand and replied, "OK."

She then slowly lifted her hands towards her head, and then began to untie the knots that were around her hair. Once untied, she then took a deep breath, closed her eyes, then allowed her big blue hat to slide down from her head, revealing to Rodrigo, her pink bow.

Rodrigo waited until she opened her eyes again. He did not understand why she was showing him this. He thought about it for a while, just looking at her pink bow. Then suddenly, it occurred to him that it was the pink bow and not the hat that was important to her.

"That day when I flickered your hat, you were afraid for your pink now and not your hat weren't you?" He asked her.

"Yes" she responded back.

Rodrigo waited for her to say something. It was a long wait until she finally spoke.

"You asked me why Arnold means everything to me. This pink bow explains it all. On my first day of pre-school, I reminded my parents that they needed to take me there, but they were too busy giving their attention to my older sister who was playing the piano, that they did not bother with me. So I decided to walk by myself there. It was raining and cold. On the way, I lost my lunch to a stray dog and I got wet and mud all over my clothes when I stopped for the lights. When I finally got there, I felt so miserable and alone that I just stood there, not bothering to go inside. Then Arnold came with his grandfather, opened his umbrella for me and said with a smile, 'Hi I like your pink bow because it matches your pants'. Arnold was the first person to ever notice that I ever existed, the first person that see of anything of value in me. And I have been in love with him since then." She sadly told her story.

Rodrigo just stood her, completely motionless and silent. He had no idea what to say over this revelation. In one stroke, he had almost completely understood her, but she had also revealed to him why she was so self-conscious about her hat and about why it is so hard to talk about Arnold. It was overwhelming. He had no idea just how important Arnold was to her. He did not need to know any further details; it all now made sense. Her love for Arnold literally kept her alive! He took of his hat and just looked down on the floor in complete anguish and shame. There were so many questions that he wanted to ask her, but he was having trouble just absorbing what Helga had just told him.

"I'm so, so sorry Helga." Was all he could say.

If Helga was expecting Rodrigo to feel better, it only made it worse. He now felt more terrible than ever. He felt he pushed her into showing her this.

_Well I did not expect to break him so easily like that._ She thought to herself jokingly.

After regaining his composure, he continued,

"I'm sorry Helga. I just did not think you were going to tell me this. I was just hoping for you to tell me some information about why you like him, such as, he is a sweet guy, or he is smart or something like that. I'm not saying that I don't appreciate what you just showed me, I'm just…at a loss."

"I'm not able to just tell bits and pieces of information about myself. That's one of the problems that I have. I either tell it all, or none of it. I thought about this long and hard before I decided to show this to you. I just have...no other way to tell you other than just to show you." She explained.

"Does anyone else know about this?" he asked.

"No. Only Phoebe." she replied.

"Again, not that I'm not appreciating it, but I have to know; why did you show it to me?" he asked.

Helga took a few moments to carefully find the right words to explain. She inhaled deeply, let it out, then began to say,

"I have to start by saying this: you remind me of Arnold. I know that you don't like to be compared to him, but it is important for you to know that you possess a lot of the same qualities that made Arnold such a wonderful guy. They are not the same, but similar enough that even Gerald saw it. I guess that's why I trust you. I know you are not Arnold, and I'm not imagining that you are him. But it allows me to trust you. And like him, despite how many times I tried to push you and how many times I upset you, you were able to see, despite my aggression and toughness, something more. You kept on coming back to be my friend." She explained with a smile.

"Umm...thanks" was all Rodrigo could say. But then he continued, "but you are not able to trust anyone else? Even though you grew up with them? What about Gerald? He is Arnold's best friend."

"Gerald was never able to see past my bullying and aggression. I feel like every time he looks at me, he does it with contempt and judgment. I don't think he ever liked me, much less accepted my relationship with Arnold. I don't think he was able to realize that there was something else besides my toughness." she explained.

_I have to talk to Gerald about this. This has to stop._ Rodrigo thought.

"What about everyone else?"

"I was never close to them. Plus I also felt that they were judging me, although less so than Gerald. Rhonda changed and we did warmed up a bit, but I would not really call her my friend. The same goes with Lila. When Arnold was here, everyone would come together to hang out, myself included. But I was mostly there just to tag along really."

"This does not make any sense. I mean, our friends are a very diverse group. I'm actually quite fascinated as to how Rhonda and Nadine are really close friends, despite being so different. This group should be the most open minded, yet I'm seeing that they never gave you a proper chance, even after what you did for Arnold in finding his parents. That alone was incredible!" exclaimed Rodrigo.

"It wasn't all just them. When Arnold left and I had my depression, they would call me to check up on me. But given my defensiveness as a habit, I never answered my phone and I told Phoebe not to give out any specifics. I'm a difficult person to deal with, and I guess they eventually just got tired of it. Eventually they stopped calling."

"They didn't meet your standard in order for you to trust them." Rodrigo stated.

"I guess." she replied back.

Rodrigo then thought about her parents, which caused his blood to boil. He wanted to ask her about her parents, about how they could do this to her. Why did they allow her to walk to pre-school on her own? Why did they ignore her? What kind of parents were they? He wanted to ask her, but he reframed from doing so. He saw that it was pointless to ask such questions. The damage had already been done and he did not want to upset her.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked him, interrupting him from this thoughts.

"Huh? Oh ummm, I was just thinking about everything you just told me. Thank you for sharing it with me, it means a lot." he said with a smile.

"Hope I didn't break you." she asked, trying not to giggle.

"Huh? No, sorry, it was just ummm...uhhh...very touching story." he said while blushing.

Before another awkward silence started developing,

"Well ummm, did you want to start practicing?" he asked.

"Actually, I'd preferred to just talk a bit more." she said with a small smile.

**Later the evening...**

_Football head, I don't know what came over me today, but I told Rodrigo...no I showed him my pink bow that I always wear. Out of everyone that I knew, I showed it to him. I swore that no one would ever see it. I must be crazy to have done that! But, I don't feel as if I lost something. If anything, I feel as if I gained something from it. _

_He did swear that he would never reveal it to anyone, so I am hoping that he will keep his word. It is makes me nervous really, to put something that I cherish so much into the hands of someone else. I only felt comfortable enough to do that with you. But I trust him enough to give him a chance. At the very least, if he does say something, I will have good old Betsy here that he will have to answer to._

_I haven't seen any letters from you recently. Hope you are not having too much fund without me, Arnoldo._

_Yours truly,_

_Helga G. Pataki_


	10. Chapter 10 - Gerald's Apology

**Hi everyone! So in this chapter, I want to give Gerald, Sid, Harold and Stinky an opportunity to be more included into this story. After Rhonda's party, they are all curious on how Rodrigo managed to gain Helga's trust and become her friend. Let's see what Rodrigo has to say about that. **

* * *

Gerald was not all words about him wanting to know how Rodrigo managed to gain Helga's trust. Since Rhonda's Halloween party, he had been trying to talk to Rodrigo, but either due to Helga being present during lunchtime, or due to school work, they were not able to hold talks for long. He then decided to speak to him on a Friday night after school, where they can actually hold a long discussion. He was not the only one who wanted to speak to Rodrigo. Harold, Stinky and Sid were also curious on how he did it.

"We gotta know how Rodrigo managed to do it; how did he manage to gain Helga's trust." Gerald said.

"You sound upset that he and Helga are now friends." Sid pointed out to him.

"Nah, Sid. I'm just really curious to know how he did it, that's all." he responded back.

Gerald was not sure how he felt, or how he should be feeling. All he knew is that it was bothering him and he wanted to find out. Perhaps if he did, he can also try to be friends with Helga. However, he knew that he would only be doing it for Phoebe and Arnold. He personally had no motivation to becomes friends with Helga, especially by this stage in their lives.

"Aren't you guys also curious on he did it?" he asked his friends.

"Well ya, a little." Sid confessed.

"I guess." Harold said as he was chewing on his food.

"Well, it would be darn nice to know his secret." Stinky said.

"Ok, then it's settled. Let's go to the arcade this Friday night with him and then we can all sit down and get him to spill it." Gerald said.

_I'm not sure why I think this is a big deal. They are only friends, they are not dating each other. But even so, it's a miracle that he became friends with her. Everyone else has been trying to do that for years, and only Phoebe and Arnold managed to do it. What did we do wrong?_ he thought to himself.

They all nodded in agreement.

After a few minutes, Rodrigo came to the lunch room and approached their table where they were sitting.

"Hey guys, what's up?" he asked them.

"Nothing much. Hey, you free this Friday night? The guys are all going to the arcade and then get some food after. You in?" Gerald asked him.

"Ya sure. I'm free."

"Great! We're all going to meet up at the arcade at 6pm" Gerald said.

**Friday night...**

As was discussed, all five friends met up at the arcade at 6pm. Their local arcade had changed much since Gerald and everyone else were kids. It had greatly expanded its games to include more teenager and young adult entertainment. They also built a restaurant for people to relax and enjoy some food. Unfortunately, by the time they have added these features, Arnold had already left Hillwood, prompting Gerald and everyone to try out the new games without him.

After almost two hours of almost constant playing, the friends decided to sit down for a bit and order some food. Now it was time for Gerald to make his move.

"Yaa! That was a great games guys!" exclaimed Harold.

"That was so much fun fellers, but I sure worked up an appetite." said Skinky.

"Ya, let's go and get something to eat." said Sid.

After making their orders and paying for their food, they found a nice cozy place to sit down and eat.

After a few minutes of eating and talking, Gerald began his interrogation.

"So Rodrigo, I take it things are better now with Helga? I mean after that whole dating rumor died down."

"Ya it is, finally. The stupid rumor nearly cost me our friendship. We both said a lot of hurtful things, but thankfully things are finally moving upwards, you know?"

"Boy howdy Rodrigo, you must be really good with the ladies if you managed to become friends with Helga. How did you do it?" asked Sid.

Rodrigo took a moment to carefully decide what he was going to say to them without divulging too much information about Helga. He knew that if any word about her ever got out, she would kill him. Yet, he was also glad that they brought up this topic. He can finally ask them about why they are so distant with Helga.

"Thanks, Sid. But I honestly don't really know how I did it. It wasn't easy. It really was not easy. I think it was that I never really bought into her tough and aggressive exterior. I think that is part of her personality, but I also know that there is more to her than just that. I think like that with everyone and I like to give them a chance to show it." he explained.

_Wow, he is just like Arnold._ Gerald thought. "You're one optimistic guy Rodrigo."

"Not really. I don't just focus on the positive things about people. I fully acknowledge and accept their negative aspects as well, or the things that they lack. No one is perfect, so I think it is important to acknowledge everyone's perfections and imperfections." Rodrigo explained.

"So with Helga, I think the reason why she acts so aggressive and tough is precisely because there has to be something more, something, I guess, nice if not beautiful. Otherwise, why would she waste so much of her energy keeping her guard up?" he continued.

If Gerald was hoping for a different answer about Helga, he was bitterly disappointed. Arnold had told him exactly the same thing years ago and he was not completely convinced by him. It is not that he did not believe that Helga did have a softer, more sweet side of her. Of that he was convinced. He was not sure exactly what the sweet, softer side encompassed, and if whether or not which side of her is her 'real' personality: her softer side or her aggressive one. Unlike Arnold and to some extend Rodrigo, Gerald never patronized Helga. Despite what she may have gone through in her personal lives, he found that insufficient of an excuse for the way she had acted and still acts with Arnold and everyone else. Even the way she reacted towards the whole dating rumor was extremely uncalled for.

However, despite already being aware of Helga's softer side, the rest of the boys were still not convinced.

"Bahahahahaha! Helga, having a sweet, beautiful side? Ya right, nice one Rodrigo." exclaimed Harold. Sid and Stinky also joined him in laughing.

Rodrigo was taken aback by their laughter and was not amused by it.

"I was being serious guys. Why is it so hard for you to even consider that Helga may have a gentler side?" He asked.

At least Gerald was in a better position to have more of an awareness of Helga's personality and back story. Harold, Stinky and Sid were almost completely clueless and it is not surprising why that was.

"Sorry Rodrigo, but you've only known her for little more than two months. We have been putting up with her since we were kids and throughout that time, we have never seen her display any of her 'nice' or 'beautiful' side of her, hahaha" Sid explained while trying to stop laughing.

"It's true Rodrigo. When were kids, Helga would always call us names, would boss us around, whether it is during a game or at a play. She was never the type of person that you could get close to, unless there was a reason for it. And the way she treated Arnold during that time, well that was less of an incentive to even want to get close to her." Said Stinky.

"What did she actually do to him?" Rodrigo asked.

Rodrigo knew that Helga used to bully Arnold when they were kids, but he never got the full detail of how long and how intense the bullying was. Gerald then, proceed to give him the back story,

"Man, you're in for a real treat. What I'm about to tell you is the Helga that we know, the Helga that she has always shown us."

Gerald then told the whole story, as far as he can remember, of just how brutal she was toward Arnold. He explained to him the constant name callings, how she would always push him and Gerald around, the constant spit balls in class, the pranks she would pull on him, not to mention the amount of times she would completely humiliate him on almost a daily basis. He told Rodrigo one April Fool's day when Helga had pulled so many pranks on Arnold, that he eventually decided to retaliate, which ended up in him pushing her into the pool. Throughout this whole torment, it was only by Arnold's confident and optimistic personality that he did not get overwhelmed by her bullying, while other students would have eventually collapsed. Gerald explained that the bullying started right around pre-school and only ended before entering the 6th grade, when they all went to San Lorenzo to find Arnold's parents after winning that bogus class competition; almost a decade of torment.

Yet, Gerald did not stop there. Despite her no longer bullying him, her aggression and violent temper did not cease with everyone else. Although it lessened, she continued to be her usual self with others. Gerald explained that Arnold had to constantly speak to Helga about her behaviour without being seen as if he was lecturing her. He tried to get her to see other perspective on how she should express herself and also how other people may feel about the way she spoke or treated them. Sometimes it worked and she loosened up, but other times she took it the wrong way or she simply did not agree with him.

Gerald continued to explain that their relationship was not unstable, but it was rocky. Both of their personalities were on the extreme end of the spectrum, which encouraged conflicts between them. Although there were times when they agreed over something, and even times when Arnold not only understood, but also agreed with her, this was not a common occurrence. At times when things took a serious turn, Gerald and Phoebe had to intervene in order calm things down between them and to start initiating the two into speaking to each other again.

"Haha. Helga used to say that her relationship with Arnold was passionate, but I knew it to be rocky. The amount of arguments that those two had was unreal. From my perspective, Helga would usually press Arnold's buttons and although he was usually successful in calming her down, there were times when he reached his limit. I wouldn't say it was ugly, but it kept Phoebe and myself busy and sometimes even entertained." Gerald said with a bit of laughter.

Rodrigo however, was not smiling at all. He was still reeling over what Helga did to Arnold before they got together. To say that Rodrigo was appalled by just how she used to bullying Arnold was an understatement. He was completely degusted by it.

_I can't believe she did this to him. I had thought she only did small, yet innocent pranks on him. I never thought she would be so vicious toward someone she loved deeply. How was Helga able to sleep at night?! Forget her, how was Arnold able to sleep at night?! _ He thought angrily.

However, before he could get a word out, Gerald then continued with a surprising twist,

"Yet, despite what she did to him, I have to admit there were times when she really pulled through, as a person and showed just how much she really loved him. When our neighbourhood was being torn down by Future Tech Industries, Helga disguised herself ad Deep Voice and provided us with crucial information that allowed us to save the neighbourhood. After we saved it and things calmed down, Arnold explained to me why Helga was at the FTI building with us. He told me why she sacrificed in securing a good business deal for her father's business in order to save our neighbourhood; she did it for Arnold. He also told me about her confession for her love for him, but I won't go into any details here. Had it not been for her, we would have never have succeed it."

"There was also this other time, around Christmas when Arnold was trying to find the daughter of one of the tenants that lives in the boarding house, as part of his Christmas present to him. I tried to help him but we never succeeded in finding her. However, on Christmas day, her daughter same to the boarding house. She said she was given the address of where her father was living and went there to find him. Naturally, Arnold and I were completely shocked and clueless as to how this happened, but we took it as part of a Christmas miracle. However, after Arnold and Helga got together, Helga spilled the beans to us and told Arnold, whom he told me, that it was Helga that succeeded in finding the tenant's daughter, by sacrificing her Christmas present order to make him happy. I think it was some highly fashionable boots that was in style at that time. When I heard this, honestly, I did not initially believe it. Without telling Arnold, I decided to go back to the government office and personally asked Mr. Bailey, the person who was helping us find the tenant's daughter, if what Helga said was true. He confirmed it. To be honest Rodrigo, I was completely in shock. I did not know what to say back then, and I am still at a loss on what to say." Gerald continued.

"Then there is also when we all went to San Lorenzo to find Arnold parents, which Helga helped organize, which you already know the story. Again, she did it all for him, to make him happy." he concluded.

These three events, eventually everyone knew. Sometime after Gerald was told this, both Arnold and Gerald convinced Helga to allow them to tell everyone else about these stories, about what she did for Arnold and everyone. Naturally, just like Gerald, this came as a rude shock to everyone who heard it. It allowed them to see Helga in a fresh new light, to see that Arnold was right all along about her; that she was not just this tough and bullying persona; she had a real heart and was willing to make huge sacrifices for those whom she cared.

There were other events too that Arnold told Gerald about what Helga did for him. However, these remained private. Gerald wanted to tell it to Rodrigo, but since Harold, Stinky and Sid were present, he was not able to.

"This is the thing about Helga, she is a real paradox. You can choose to like her, or not. But one thing is for sure, you have to respect her, not out of fear, but out of genuine admiration." said Gerald.

Rodrigo just remained silent for a long moment. He was completely baffled by what Gerald had told him.

_My God, she really does love him. He means everything to her. This is love at its most purest, at its most sublime._ He thought. _So why did he leave her? How could he leave her after all the things she did for him? I know he left because of his parents, but did he fight with them at least, to remain here with her? Did he even try to do everything in his power to prevent his parents from moving?_

"Gerald, when you heard that Arnold was moving away, did you guys ever talk about if Arnold tried to convince his parents to stay, or if he provided an alternative for them not to move away?" Rodrigo asked him.

Gerald thought for a moment before he answered, "To be honest, not really. Come to think of it, I never did ask him directly if there was any other way for him to stay and he never told us about it. When he told me, he did say that he had an argument with his parents when they told him about the move. But I don't recall if Arnold ever did tell me what he said to them. I don't know if he tried to convince them to stay or not. When he told us, he obviously was not happy about it, but he never showed any serious signs of depression or serious case of sadness. I know he was sad about leaving us, but as he is ever the optimistic kid, I don't think he would let that get the better of him. Why do you ask?"

"Because it makes sense now as to why Helga was really upset about him leaving. After all the things she did for him, after bullying him which cost them precious time to be together, she finally had him, only to be ripped apart from him by things outside of her control. His departure was a serious slap to her face. I cannot imagine what Helga must have gone through. I was wondering if Arnold ever even bothered to fight not just for their relationship, but to stay here in Hillwood? Did he try to come up with some plan to prevent the move? I mean, come on you guys saved the whole neighbourhood, you mean to tell me that neither of you, Arnold or Helga were able to come up with a plan to get two people to remain in Hillwood?" Rodrigo said with a raised and frustrated voice.

All four friends remained silent and just stared at Rodrigo. It's true, no one, not even Helga had attempted to come up with any kind of plan or initiative to get Arnold to stay in Hillwood. Once they heard the news, they took it as a given. Rodrigo's point did have some truth and it was making Gerald feel a bit offended. Rodrigo was essentially accusing him of just allowing his best friend to leave without a fight. However, there were reasons as to why they just allowed Arnold to leave, which Rodrigo did not yet know about.

"You have point there Rodrigo. We never really came together to see what we can do to convince Arnold's parents to stay here, but there were reasons. His parents were unemployed for a number of years since their return from the jungle. Wanting to remain in their fields, they both had to return to school to update their educational qualifications, which took years to complete. Plus they started working in dead-end jobs just to pay the bills. When they were both given the opportunity to go back into their fields, they took it without hesitation. Initially, their jobs were stable and it allowed them to remain here. However, there was serious restructuring within the company that they were working for and their superior gave them an offer of either moving to new places, or being let go. This was not an easy decision for them, as their jobs are extremely limited within the market. They obviously chose the former." Gerald explained.

"As for Arnold, there was an option of him remaining in Hillwood and continue leaving at the boarding house with his grandparents. However, he refused that offer, as it meant that he would have to see his parents leave again, which he was not able to bear. Helga, Phoebe and myself understood that, which is why we never pushed him to remain here without his parents. It was an extremely tough decision to make for his parents, him and us. Arnold had to leave everyone, his grandparents, the tenants whom he grew up with, his friends and Helga. To make matters worse, his parents' jobs required them to constantly move, which has been frustrating for Arnold, as he has not been able to make long-term friends at school. A lot of letters that he send us are about this. I honestly do not know how he was able to cope with this really, but he does. He knew from the very beginning that his was going to be his life and so he took it." He concluded.

Rodrigo just signed and then said, "I'm sorry Gerald. I did not mean to accuse you guys of not being hurt when he left. I know this must have been tough for you guys."

"Darn right Rod. Arnold was the kid who we could always go to solve our problems. He ensured that our group functioned as normally as possible. After he left, there was a big gap and it was never the same really, but we had to cope with it." said Stinky.

"It was especially hard on Gerald. During that summer, we rarely saw him. Actually, we rarely saw each other. I guess we were all reeling from this loss that we didn't want to meet up because it would just remind us of him leaving. We would often meet up at his house so we can decide on what we wanted to do for the day, but after he left, at least for me, I tried to avoid going there." said Sid.

"No doubt. I was actually starting to fall into a bit of depression. But that's when I knew that I had to do something. So I called everyone for a sports games, Helga including. Naturally everyone was pretty reluctant, but I managed to convince them to do it. It was not easy, but slowly, by getting together and helping each other out, we were able to move on." Gerald said with a confident and proud look in his face.

"Which brings me to Helga. Despite her never being my favorite person, I knew that she would be taking it hard. Neither Phoebe, nor Arnold had to tell me that. So I made the choice to call her several times to come out with us during that summer, including even after we started high school. Or just to see if she was OK. The girl never answered any of my calls, nor Rhonda's or even Phoebe's. It was only through Phoebe that we at least knew that she was still alive, and I don't mean that in a joking way, but as a good friend, she never revealed to us what her condition was. We knew it must have been bad, but what exactly it was, we never knew. Eventually man, there was only so much that we could do for that girl. We were going through our own tough times. Helga was not was the only one. If she wanted to be left alone, well that was her choice, so we stopped calling her." he continued.

Rodrigo said nothing throughout. It became more clear to him that he was not going to be able to simply take a side. Both parties had good justifications for acting the way that they did and both were equally responsible for them. However, he did say this,

"Ya, Helga told me that you guys did tried to call her and did confess that she never answered them. What about when she finally appeared in school?"

"Nothing, other than her being her usual self, only more angry. We did ask her how she was feeling, especially when it was clear that something was bothering her. But like always, she would either say she was fine, or say it was 'none of our business'. Plus, we rarely saw her during the first year. She would sometimes come sit with us, but only due to Phoebe pushing her to do so. Second year we did see her more and we could see that she made more of an effort to participate in hanging with us or playing sports, but again, it was a very slow process." Gerald continued to explain.

"Can I ask you guys something? Would it have helped if you guys perhaps had been a little more...direct into helping her out?"

"Uh, this is Helga we are talking about Rodrigo. You do not just go up to her and confront her unless you are willing to pay the price." said Harold.

"Like, I tried to make some jokes about her, but all she ever did was throw her lunch tray at me or, if I was really lucky, simply threatened me."

"Harold, you're idea of making fun of Helga's appearance or about her what she was going through is not funny. It isn't surprising that she would try to punch your lights out." Rodrigo retorted back.

"I guess, but why did she have to be so serious all the times? I mean the girl has never even smiled, unless it comes at someone's expenses." Harold countered.

"And besides," Gerald interjected. "I did try to do what; to confront her about it. Everyone became more aware that Helga was having...family issues. About what exactly, we don't know. Neither Arnold nor Phoebe ever told us the details. So, out of good faith, about a year before Arnold left, I went up to her to inquire about it.

***Flashback* Three and half years earlier...**

"Hi ladies. Pataki, mind if I talk to you for a sec?" asked Gerald confidently, trying to mask the nervousness that was starting to grow.

Helga and Phoebe were having lunch together. Since they started going out with Arnold and Gerald, they have attempted to still find time for each other during school. Being as this was one of those days, it was no surprise that Helga got slightly irritated about Gerald was interrupting them.

"What is it tall-hair boy?" she asked nonchalantly.

Phoebe excused herself and started walking towards Arnold and everyone else who has sitting in another table.

As Gerald sat down, his confidence quickly evaporated and he started to become nervous.

"Well umm...Pataki...the reason why I came here is to...ummm...to talk to you about something and...umm.."

_Why is he being so nervous? This isn't the first time he has spoken to me. _She thought.

"Crimeny tall-hair boy, just spit it out already. What do you want?" she asked him with a strong hint of irritation in her voice.

"Ok, Helga, here's the thing. The reason why I came over here is because, out of good faith, Arnold and Phoebe have mentioned to me, without giving me any details mind you, that you were having...family issues, and I just wanted to see how I can help." he said.

Helga immediately dropped her sandwich and looked at Gerald with wide eyes.

"What?"

Unbeknownst to anyone at that time, including Arnold, two days prior during dinner, Big Bob exclaimed at how thankful he was that he was able to find Olga save and sound Helga's class to San Lorenzo. Unfortunately, he made no mention of how thankful he was for Helga's safety. It took Olga to explicitly mention Helga's name, but all Big Bob said was, "Huh? Oh ya, her too."

Yet, the damage was already done. Helga took this very personal, but she repressed her sadness with even more anger during that week. Sadly, with Gerald having no knowledge of this, his desire to help Helga out came at the wrong time.

Helga simply took a deep breath, let it out, then calmly, but with some snarl, then warned Gerald,

"Gerald, because you are Arnold's best friend, I'm going to give you this one chance to get up and walk away and we will never speak of this again."

Gerald was not surprised by her remark, as he had expected her to say something like that. However, he completely underestimated at just how much of a sensitive topic this was to her. Undeterred, he said,

"Look Pataki, I'm not here to fight with anyone and I'm not here to make fun of you. On the contrary, I just want to see how I can help..."

Before Gerald had any time to finish what he wanted to say, Helga lost it. She instantly got up, grabbed Gerald by his collar and started yelling at him.

"I don't need your help, got it tall-hair boy?! What happens in my life is none of your business, so don't you ever come near me about this again or I will pummel you!"

Gerald however, simply pushed Helga in order to her off of him and yelled back.

"You're crazy Pataki, you know that?! All I did was come here to help you and this what I get?!"

Helga simply launched herself back towards Gerald and actually tried to take a swing at him, but he simply grabbed her fist with his hand. By now Gerald was appalled at how Helga was reacting and started to get angry himself. Helga however, kept trying to punch him, but he kept managing to either dodge her swings or grab her fist.

Just then, Arnold and Phoebe came running.

"Helga stop! What are you doing? Let him go." Arnold cried out to her as he attempted to put himself between Gerald and Helga.

Helga, despite her fury, eventually let him go. Once they were separated, Arnold then asked Gerald what happened.

"Gerald, what happened?"

"Nothing! All I did was come to her and just mentioned about her...'situation' and how I just wanted to help and she just blew up on me!" Gerald yelled.

"Helga, why did you get angry at him?" he asked her calmly.

"Because it is none of his business! And who are you to tell him about my business? Just because I tell you these things does not mean that you have to tell anyone else, football head?" She retorted back.

"Helga, I never told him about any details. All I said to him was that you having issues at home. The only reason why I mentioned that to him was so he can understand where you were coming from. But in respect to your wishes, I never mentioned what exactly was going on." Arnold explained, while still trying to remain calm.

"Make sure that he never knows it." She warned him.

**The present...**

"Did she ever apologize to you for blowing up on you like that?" Rodrigo asked Gerald.

"Nope. I know that Arnold and Phoebe did ask her to apologize, but she never did." he responded back.

"After that incident, I instructed both Arnold and Phoebe to never mention, nor to talk to me about any of her issues. It was pointless to know them if they were not going to give you the details. Several days later, Helga told Arnold why she blew up on me like that, which he then told me about it. Just so you know how serious this was, Arnold would usually come to Helga's defence whenever she would get angry or start being mean to someone. However, in this case, in one of those rare moments, Arnold made no attempt to defend her."

"Some time after that, I think Helga did try talk to me on several occasions, or at least tried to revert the damage that she caused, but after that incident, I no longer had any desire to seal this animosity between us, much less talk to her, so I just blew her away." he continued.

Rodrigo just sat there in silence. When this conversation started, he had expected to enlighten his friends on Helga's situation, as he had assumed that Gerald and everyone else were ignorant of what Helga was and is still is going through. However, it became obvious that they knew more than he originally thought. Plus he had not expected Helga to have behaved this badly with Arnold or Gerald. Sadly, he concluded that defending Helga, much less convincing them that there was more to her than just being aggressive and a bully, was getting harder and harder. Like Arnold, Rodrigo also made no attempt to defend her. He knew that what she did was wrong and it cost her any hope of becoming friends with Gerald.

"We never said this to Arnold, but we silently took Gerald side on this. Personally, what Helga did was wrong. At the beginning, I kind of believed Arnold when he said, that deep down she had a good heart and is capable of doing nice, and despite what she did for him, after that incident, I felt that most of what Arnold said was not untrue, but just greatly exaggerated." said Sid.

"Is that why just 20 minutes ago, you three just laughed at the mention that deep down, Helga does have something nice and beautiful about her?" Rodrigo asked.

"Ya, pretty much. I mean, can you blame us Rod? Just helping saving the neighbourhood and helping Arnold in finding his parents, they were big things, but the majority of what we see are her short temper, violent antics and bullying. Also, those things, she only did for Arnold. When has she ever done that for anyone of us? Would I trust her to do something like that for me? I don't know about the rest of you fellers, but I sure don't." said Stinky.

"To be fair Rodrigo, her bullying and violent antics did die down a bit after she and Arnold get together. She did become more approachable, but they never really left her." Gerald added.

Thus far, everyone had been making such a good case that Rodrigo found it difficult to argue against. However, he then realized that what Gerald had said may have a potential logical gap that he could exploit.

"Wait, so what happened in the years before the incident? If she became more approachable like you said, did you guys try to become more friendly to her, especially right after the whole San Lorenzo trip? he asked.

All four looked at each other in confusion. After a moment of silence, Sid then said,

"Well, we knew that a lot of what she said, we no longer took it at face value. For instance, if she threatened you, often times we never expected her to actually go through with it, unless if she was really angry at you about something. Because of that, we did talk to her more than before San Lorenzo, but it was never that easy. We never knew when she was in a good mood or not. As far as we were concerned, she could be relatively nice in one day, and mean in another. It actually got very tiring trying to guess her really."

"That and we just thought that this is Helga being Helga. " he continued.

"What do you mean by that?" Rodrigo asked him.

"Listen man, it became clear to us that despite Arnold's best intention in trying to convince us that Helga is a nice person with a good heart, we came to the conclusion that Helga's short temper and aggression was also part of her personality. I no longer believed, as Arnold and Phoebe claimed, that it was all an act. I don't think it was, especially after San Lorenzo, when it was no longer necessary, she still continued to behave that way, even if it was less so after the fact." Gerald intervened.

It was becoming clear to Rodrigo that despite his friend's good reasons for being distant, they seem to have retained this pre-conceived bias toward Helga, so much so, that it was blinding them from any hope that Helga could show more of her niceness and softer side.

"So despite what she did for Arnold, you guys still approached her with caution?" Rodrigo asked.

"You could say that, ya." said Gerald.

"I know you guys agreed with Stinky when he said that he would not trust her to do something for you guys as she did for Arnold, but why not do something for her? Have you guys ever tried to do something to help her?" Rodrigo asked.

"Again Rodrigo, this is Helga were talking about. When will she ever come to us for help? She never did. I mean, look at happened to Gerald and he actually tried to help her." said Harold as he was chewing on his burger.

"Ya, it's kind of hard helping someone who does not want your help to begin with, let alone even appreciating the gesture." Stinky added.

"Which then brings us back to you Rodrigo. How'd you do it?" asked Sid.

By this point, Rodrigo did not know what to say. He actually does not know how he did it. Why did he succeed where everyone else failed.

"I...I don't really know. I guess it may have been because, despite how many times she tried to push me away, or indicate to me to stay away from her, I did not, even when she threatened me, I still came back to talk to her. And there were times when I noticed that she was being nice to me, or when she let her guard down that allowed me to see pass this tough exterior. For example, on my second day, after she made that racist remark, after school I was walking home and she approached me, and we started talking and then she said that she hoped that her remark did not offend me. I told her that I was not offended. That was when I first noticed that pass her aggression, she can be nice person to talk to." he explained

"Yet, during the first months, she was acting hostile towards me and 'attacked' me through smart and inappropriate remarks at me. I did the same back to her but it eventually got annoying and I felt that she did not like me. But I also got the impression that the reason why she was initially acting hostile towards me was because she may have, I guess, wanted or needed my attention, but did not know how to do it in a nice way. Not in an insecure way, but I was kind of ignoring her when I met up with everyone during lunch. Like you guys said, she is an angry person, so the only way to express herself is by being angry or hostile. I guess this was her way to trying to test me, to see I could be trusted. Despite her hostility, I never bought it because I also saw that she could be nice. I was just confused as to why she would sometimes show it, but other times not." he continued.

His friends just stood there in silence. Then, after a moment, came a bit of giggles from all three friends, except Gerald.

" Helga, wanting attention? You're a joker Rodrigo. Helga is the one person that stays away from getting any attention, letting alone wanting it." said Sid, while trying to restrain his laughter.

"Hahahahaha, oooohh I am Helga, and I want some of attention because no one wants to talk to me. boo hoo booh!" Harold said mockingly.

Rodrigo sat there in silence, with some confusion and irritation at their giggles.

"Guys stop it, seriously!" he said with a raised voice.

They instantly stopped laughing and just stared at him.

"That's not funny. I was being serious when I said that. I can't believe that despite everything that we talked about, with you guys even admitting that Helga does possess some capability in being nice and even you Sid, said to me on the first day that you are her friend, you guys are still not able to grasp the fact that she can actually be nice if you allow her to. Just look at what she did for me after the dating rumor. She almost got herself expelled just so I won't get suspended or have a negative report on my record. Yes, she may have deserved it, but she was willing to take responsibility for her mistake." he explained with a serious tone.

"If you guys want to know why she still is being aggressive and distant towards you, it is because of this. You guys don't take her seriously. No, worse, you guys mock her. Of course she is not going to open up to you. Why would she? You guys don't take her seriously so why should she trust you? You guys don't take her issues into consideration and acknowledge just how serious and damaging they have been to her. You don't need to really know the details to see their effects. People are not angry for no reason. They have a reason to be angry, they are angry because they have been hurt." he continued..

Gerald was the only one that took what Rodrigo had said seriously. It finally dawned on him why Rodrigo was able to gain Helga's trust and it was not because of some special skill that he possessed with the ladies. No, it was his personality. Gerald was right to have compared him to Arnold, to some extent. He had the foresight and the patience, albeit barely, to see past Helga's tough exterior. Although he didn't think that Helga had any feelings for Rodrigo, he finally now understood why he succeeded. Because Rodrigo was new to the group, Helga did not have any pre-conceived bias towards him. Perhaps a bit of suspicion, but not enough to completely shut him out. Yet Rodrigo early on saw that she could be nice and just like Arnold, did not allow her tough exterior to overwhelm his judgment. He still persisted and continued to give Helga the benefit of the doubt and give her every reason to trust him.

This, Gerald now had to admit to himself why he failed. Because she had already known him and his friends for years, Helga knew how they see her as; a bully. Gerald realized that despite the attempts in trying to talk to her and be friendly, he never abandoned his attitude towards her. He always saw her as a tough, short-tempered and aggressive person first, and a nice, softer person second. Worse still, he never completely forgave Helga for what she put Arnold through before they got together. He realized that this is what Helga may have picked up and why she never allowed him to get as close to her as she allowed Arnold and Phoebe. He finally realized his mistake.

Just then, realizing that Rodrigo was still talking, he quickly proceed to calm things down before things escalated.

"Whoa whoa Rodrigo, relax man. Don't need to be all upset about this. We're just talking."

He then looked at Stinky, Sid and Harold and continued to speak.

"But he's kind of right you guys. You should not have laughed at this. We all know that Helga has issues and Rodrigo was kind enough to explain to us how he managed to gain Helga's trust."

"Ya, I guess you're right Gerald. Sorry Rodrigo. " Sid said with a guilty tone in his voice.

"Ya, we're sorry Rod." Stinky apologized.

"OK, I'm sorry too." said Harold.

Rodrigo was still irritated at them for mocking him and Helga like that.

_I cannot believe that these guys are just that immature. Despite them being Helga's 'friends' they still mock at her and cannot grasp that fact that Helga, at the very least, can be both tough and nice at the same time._ He thought.

However, not wanting to spoil the night, he then also apologized.

"Ya, I'm sorry too guys. I know that is hard to see two different sides of her. But ya, I'm sorry."

"Well, this has been a fun conversation, but do you say we continue playing a few more games before we call it night?" Gerald offered, hoping it would allow the tension to go away.

Thankfully, everyone agreed.

After playing a few more rounds, they decided to leave the arcade and head for home.

After everyone said their goodbyes, Gerald walked home whilst deep in thought.

_Well I gotta hand it to Rodrigo, he succeed where even I failed to do multiple times. I just wished I realized what I know now, back then. It would have made a huge difference. Perhaps if I had acted less biased towards her, perhaps she would have opened up to me and we could have reconciled, maybe even be friends._

The thought of the possibility of ending his feud with Helga, had he known, saddened him. It would have saved a lot of headaches for everyone, especially for Arnold and Phoebe.

Wanting to think further, he decided to walk around the neighbourhood, which inadvertently was leading him to Helga's house. Eventually, he reached her house, but not noticing, walked past it. Just then, Helga opened the door as she was going to go for a short walk. She had been bored out of her mind at her room and was not sleepy. Once she went down the stoop, she noticed Gerald walking away.

_What's Gerald doing here?_ She thought. Curiously, she decided to call out to him.

"Hey, tall-hair boy!"

Being a bit startled, Gerald turned around and asked her,

"Pataki? What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that. I live here, doi." she said as she pointed her house.

"Oh. I was at the arcade with the boys. I was just heading home but I decided to go for a walk around the neighbourhood. I did not noticed that I walked right by your house." he explained.

"I take it Rodrigo was there?" she asked.

"Ya he was. We all had a good talk actually. It was...deep." he said.

Although not usually caring for gossip, she was a little curious to find out what they were talking about, if not suspicious. She did not find it coincidently of him having to walk past her house. Unless there was a reason to, he'd never walked past her house.

"What about?" she asked him with a suspicious glare.

_Well that's knew. Why does she care? Should I tell her about what we talked about? Nah, she does not like it when people talk about her behind her back and I am in no mood to get into a fight with her tonight._ He thought

"Nothing that needs to concern you, Pataki. Just guys talk, that's all." He said with a friendly smile. He then turned around and started walking back home.

Helga stared at him for a few seconds before she eventually turned around to take her walk. However, Gerald then called out to her,

"Wait, Helga! Actually there is something that I would like to say." He turned around again and started walking towards her.

"I'm not going to go into any details on what we discussed, but I would like to say this: I'm sorry."

"For...?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"For not giving you a proper chance all those years ago. For not giving you the benefit of the doubt and actually seeing you from a different perspective; the way Arnold and Phoebe see you." he said.

Helga just stood there for a moment, silent. Then,

"Umm...thanks, Gerald. " she responded back with a stunned look to her face.

Helga was completely taken aback by his apology. She does not know what they discussed at the arcade, but whatever they talked about, Gerald's apology nailed right at the spot on how she felt about him. She always knew that he was never able to see her in the way Arnold and Phoebe saw her. The one thing she did feel was relieve; that Gerald was able to realize his prejudice, even if it came very late. Other than that, she didn't know what to say back to him. However, she felt like taken a bold step. She had already been bold in revealing to Rodrigo her pink bow, with positive results. Encouraged by that, and without much thought, she then asked him,

"I ummm...don't suppose there isn't any way to give it one last go?"

Now it was Gerald's turned to be surprised. It was not his intention to attempt to try one last time to reconcile. And yet, he thought about it for a second. Should he try one more time? He now realized his mistake, he has that as an advantage and Helga seems willing to try it one last time. However, he eventually decided against it. Perhaps if Arnold was still here, he would probably try one last time to be on friendly terms with Helga. However, with him no longer being here, he had no desire to do so. If anything, the years of trying to be friendly with her had very much exhausted him. He no longer had the energy to deal with her. As far as he was concerned, Helga and their animosity were now a thing of the past and he had no intention of going back. He had other priorities in his life that were more important now: finishing high school, college, a career, a life with Phoebe. Although Helga would still be around in his life, he was determined that she would be on the sidelines. What's more, despite his new revelation, he still found Helga's past behaviours, with him and Arnold, to be inexcusable and unless she was willing to own up to those past mistakes, he had no desire to reconcile.

"Sorry Pataki, but that shipped has sailed long ago. I have other things to worry about now. Besides, you have Rodrigo as a friend, who seems to be helping you out, so you don't need me." he declared with a smile.

Not waiting for Helga to respond, he simply added, "I'll see ya at school." before he then turned around and started walking home again.

_Well, it was worth a shot._ She thought as she started walking away for her walk.

She would be lying to herself if she wasn't disappointed, if not sadden by his refusal. But, she couldn't blame him. Despite knowing his prejudice, she knew that her attitude also played a big role in their failure to reconcile. She wondered why it was so hard to trust him. The two people whom she was closest to: Arnold and Phoebe both trust him with their lives. For any other person, that would have been enough to at least give him a chance. But Helga was not like any other person. No, she was Helga. She didn't go based on other people's opinion. She would make her own opinion about someone, regardless of how anyone else felt about it. Unfortunately, this attitude is what ended up preventing her from reconciling with him, not to mention the amount of headaches and stress she put herself, Arnold, Phoebe and Gerald through.

_Was it pride or was it just my self-defence mechanism acting up throughout?_ She thought_. It was my paranoia and fear that prevented me from trusting him. Even with his prejudice, he still helped me whenever he could, whether it was talking to Arnold after we got into a fight, or that time when he spoke about my situation at home and offered his help. He did offer his help, and I rejected it, let alone appreciate it._

As she continued to walk, Helga made no attempt to hide the truth from herself any longer, like in previous times. She knew that she ultimately made the choice to let her fear and stubbornness get the best of her. Like Gerald, she became blind from her own prejudice, but unlike Gerald, she rarely owned up to them.

_I never even apologized to him for blowing up on him three years ago when he wanted to help me with my family issues. Instead of appreciating his help, I slapped it away. I should have at least have spoken to Arnold about this before I said anything to Gerald._

Helga then remembered the look on Phoebe's face when she saw what her best friend was attempting to do to her boyfriend. It was one of dread, fear and bitter disappointment. For several days after the incident, Phoebe avoided hanging out with Helga. On the day when they did start hanging out again, neither of them ever mentioned to each other about the incident again. It was as if it never happened.

With Arnold, he did not avoid her, but did he show his disappointment. In order to get him to understand why she acted that way, she eventually told him what Big Bob had said at the dinner table just two days prior to the incident. She hoped that if he also explained this to Gerald, he would be somewhat sympathetic. However, not surprisingly, on the day when Arnold spoke to Gerald about why Helga got very upset, Gerald was having none of it. He explained to Arnold that despite what she was going through at home, it was not justifiable for her to take it out on him, especially when he came forward, offering his help. Throughout the entire conversation, Gerald ranted at Arnold for Helga's past behaviour and he criticized him for always defending her, even when it was her fault. Yet, Arnold said nothing back. He just allowed Gerald to talk and yell. He knew that he was not yelling at him; he was angry at Helga.

As Helga thought more of this, she became more saddened and angry with herself at a sudden realization. It was on that day when the seeds of how her current situation with Phoebe, were sowed. As she continued to wonder around her memory, she noticed that after the incident, even when things calmed down, Phoebe slowly started to become more distant with her. It was only small changes, such as making excuses as to why she couldn't hang out or because she wanted to be with Gerald. Helga didn't notice it before because she had thought Phoebe was actually busy and not trying to avoid her. What's more, she always hanged out with Arnold when Phoebe was not available, so she never sensed it. When Arnold left Hillwod, Phoebe immediately rushed back to Helga's life to help her with her depression, so whatever change happened in their relationship seemed to have been only temporary.

Despite the cold breeze, tears were starting to develop in her eyes, but she restrained them from falling down her cheeks. She didn't feel like she deserved to cry. No, if anyone deserved to, it was her best friend. She hurt her. And yet, she came to help her when she was in dire need.

The only sense of comfort she got was what Gerald had last said before he left: she had Rodrigo as his friend.

_I can't continue on with this guilt. This has to stop. I have to fix things with Phoebe. I just need to talk to someone about this._ She thought.

Not wanting to get into any further sadness, she pushed these thoughts away from her mind and just focused on her walk.

**20 minutes later...**

Helga opened the door to her house and went inside after her walk. Despite only taking a short walk, she felt completely exhausted and decided to go to bed. After putting on her pajamas, brushing her teeth, she slowly got on her bed and drifted off to sleep. For today, she did not feel like writing a letter to Arnold.

* * *

**Before I get criticized, I would like to point out that self-criticism is crucial for Helga's healing. We all know that she is a paradox. As a character, I love her but it is also necessary that a lot of her behavior should not be condoned, nor tolerated. This is something that she needs to realize and acknowledge for herself if she wants to move on. She has to come to terms with it. Helga has traditionally been focusing on what she is not able to control, fueling her anger. Instead, she should focus on what she can control. It is this shift that will eventually allow her to be free from the clutches of the past and Rodrigo will help her with this in the next chapter!**


	11. Chapter 11 - Helga's Dialogue

**Hi everyone. In this chapter, Helga attempts to talk to Rodrigo about her issue with Phoebe, while Rodrigo draws a parallel line between his life and hers...**

* * *

On that cold autumn morning, as Rodrigo gathered his school material for today's classes, he couldn't help but wonder why Helga had texted him to ride the bus together. Needless to say, he was surprised, as Helga would either go with Phoebe or on her own. Regardless of the reason, he got himself ready, got out of his house, hopped on the bus and went.

When the bus stopped to pick up Helga and other students, Rodrigo waved at her to signal to her where he was. Helga saw him and approached him and sat beside him.

"Morning." he said rather cheerfully.

"Hey." was all she said back.

From the very onset, it became clear to Rodrigo that Helga was not in a good mood. She had a frowning face, and did not even seem to be in a talking mood. Nevertheless, Rodrigo tried to make conversation, but all she responded back were one or two words or she would remain silent. Seeing this, Rodrigo relented on conversing with her and just tried to enjoy her company. Yet, he was curious to know why Helga even invited him to accompany her in going to school with her if she did not even want to talk.

Helga had stated in her text to him that Phoebe was unable to take the bus with her. Rodrigo had noticed that Phoebe had been awfully busy lately, so much so that he had seen Helga wondering the school alone. If Phoebe was not doing her school work, then she was involved in some of her after school activities or hanging out with Gerald. She was a busy woman. Yet, thinking about Phoebe's busy schedule only made Rodrigo more confused into wondering why Helga invited him to go to school together. Did she really invite him because she just wanted his company or did she had something important to talk about? Or, as he was starting to suspect, she just wanted someone to tag along with her and she figured Rodrigo was a 'secondary' choice, not a person she would have liked to hang out.

Whatever the case, he decided to just sit there and just enjoy the company.

_Actually, I'm rather enjoying just sitting here with her. It's not bad at all_. He thought, as he made himself more comfortable and tilted his hat downward to his nose, appearing as he was sleeping.

Ever since Helga revealed her pink bow to him, he had felt guilty for 'forcing her' to do so, despite her reassurance that this was her choice. Nevertheless, he ensured that moving forward, he would no longer make any serious attempt to get her to talk to him about anything personal. He decided to be more patient with her and allow her to talk about herself at her pace, not his. He realized that she has issues with telling people about herself and felt that any attempt to force it out from her was counterproductive.

Just then, they saw Stinky, Sid and Harold hopping on the bus. Rodrigo simply waved at them and they them back to him, but they sat midway into the bus, while he and Helga were at the far back. Rodrigo couldn't help but remember what he had discussed with them about their relationship with Helga and how distant they are with each other. It really bothered him how this lack in intimacy in their friendship have become the norm.

Rodrigo would occasionally, through the corner of his eye, look at Helga to see if there were any signs of change in her mood; there wasn't any. She kept on frowning and remained silent, as if she was concentrating. But concentrating on what?

_The way she looks, it is as if she is restraining herself, but from what? What is she so angry about?_ He thought.

As they were approaching the school, Rodrigo then proceed to make a comment,

"You know, if you continue to bottle it up inside, you will eventually explode." without looking at her.

As predicted, Helga said nothing.

Once the bus made its stop, everyone got off the bus. Once off, Rodrigo then decide to say genuinely,

"Well thanks for the company, Helga. I'll see you in history class. See ya." And then he went on his way.

_Well it was enjoyable, but also useless_. He thought himself. _What was that all about? Why is she acting so weird?_

**During lunchtime...**

Rodrigo was making his way towards the lunchroom when he saw Helga nearby. He stopped and waited for her to catch up so they can go together, when a male student suddenly appeared and started walking beside her, complimenting her looks and asking for her number.

"Back off." Helga warned him without even looking at him.

"Oh come on girl, don't be like that. All I am asking is your number so we can talk." The male student said.

"In your dreams. I'm not going to tell you again, back off." she said with a very serious tone.

Rodrigo looked on with a bit of amusement.

_This guy is really going to get it if he doesn't back off right now._ He thought.

"Oh come on cutie, don't act all defensive like that." Just as he said that, he took his arm and gently wrapped it around Helga's shoulders. That did it.

_Uh oh_. Rodrigo thought.

Like a lightning strike, Helga punched the guy right into his stomach so hard that he almost collapsed on the floor.

"Don't ever put your hands on me again." She warned him.

This all happened merely a few feet away from Rodrigo. As she continued to walk, she was just passing him when the male student got up and started walking towards her again, only this time, he was pissed and it looked like he was about to start something.

Before he got close to her, Rodrigo walked in between the two and said to him,

"Dude, I know what you're thinking and it's not worth it. Just go the other way and forget what happened here. I'll do the same, no harm done; otherwise you will lose more than just your lunch."

The student stood there for a while, contemplating if he should fight Rodrigo in order to get to Helga. However thankfully, he relented and walked the other way while scowling at Rodrigo.

Once the student was far way, Rodrigo turned around and to his surprise and annoyance, realized that Helga had continued walking to the lunchroom, not even bothering to stop for him to catch up.

After a few minutes, Rodrigo entered the lunchroom and after making his usual greeting, sat down, looked at Helga and then bluntly said to her sarcastically,

"Oh by the way, I'm fine. Thanks for stopping and checking up on me to see if I was ok."

"My hero. Quit your whining, I didn't ask for your help. Besides, I knew you had it all under control." Helga retorted back.

_Typical. _ He thought.

During their history class, Rodrigo did not bother to speak to Helga and vise-versa throughout the entire session. He wasn't angry, more like confused. She had asked him to ride to school together this morning, only to not speak with him and to later scoff him for helping her with that male student. In the end, he stopped wondering about it and just decided to get on with his day. After all, Helga was just being Helga...

**End of school...**

When class ended, Rodrigo met up with Stinky, Sid and Harold. He was actually looking forward to hanging out with them during their bus ride home. It was a welcoming substitution really, as this would allow Rodrigo to relax and be more himself in a group that is more...relaxing in its outlook on life.

Unfortunately, his hopes for a quiet and joyful ride home were dashed when Helga approached him, tapped him on his shoulder and asked,

"Hey, do you got a minute?"

_Oh now she wants to talk? _He thought with a bit of annoyance. He was really looking forward to just relaxing, and laugh and forgot any crap that life throws at you. However, he knew that he couldn't pass up on helping someone, even if it was Helga. Like Arnold, he was always ready to help people out and he took pride in that.

"Ya I do, what's up?" he asked.

"Do you feel like taking for a walk?" she asked him.

The morning weather was bitterly cold, with it being very cloudy and windy. However, by noon, the clouds had almost disappeared, allowing the sun the shine right through. By the time class ended, the winds have stopped and with the sun shining away. It was just barely warm enough to enjoy one last walk.

"Ya, sure, let's go." He then turned to his friends and exclaimed, "Hey guys, sorry but I have to bail out on you guys today. I'll make up for it tomorrow!"

After saying their goodbyes, both teens then started walking home. However, Helga remained silent during the first few minutes, confounding Rodrigo.

_I swear if this woman does not talk soon, I'm going to say something to her. I'm not going to allow her to just pull me in whatever direction she want me to. I'm not her pet; I'm not Phoebe!_

Gerald had told Rodrigo about how Helga had previously treated Phoebe when they were kids. From his understanding, Phoebe sounded more like Helga's servant than her best friend. However, Gerald did confirm how Helga, on many occasions, would not only help Phoebe whenever she was trouble, but had demonstrated that she really did care for her as her best friend. It was a bit of a paradox and Rodrigo had not had the chance to ask Phoebe about this.

As they continued to walk, Rodrigo noticed that Helga still contained her frowned face, however, he noticed an additional facial feature. He noticed that her frowned face was not one of anger, rather it was one of sadness. It was not easy to spot it, but one would have to examine her entire face, especially her blue eyes in order to see that she was angry because she was sad. Sad about what? Regardless of this discovery, Rodrigo was about to say something to break the silence, when Helga finally spoke.

"Who was your best friend?"

_What? Best friend? Why is she asking me this? Why does she care? Does this have something to do with Phoebe?_ He thought.

Now it was his turn to take his time to answer. This was not a simple thing to discussion, so he prepare himself before he spoke.

"I never really had a best friend. I had a close friend, but never someone whom I could always talk to." he confessed.

Helga was taken aback by this. She had assumed that everyone would have a best friend. Heck even she had a best friend.

"Why not?" she asked while looking at him.

"I was never able to trust him with things. He was a nice guy and a good friend, but he was sometimes immature, judgemental and said a lot of things, even if he was joking, that were hurtful. I never had the confidence that he had the maturity or the wisdom to not only help me out, but just to hear me out. Gerald had told me how he and Arnold would talk to each other about anything, that there were no secrets between them. Phoebe had also said something similar between you two. Unfortunately I never had that experience." He explained. "Why do you ask?"

Helga was no longer sure if she should bother him with her concern. She didn't think that he would understand. However, it was already too late to not ask him. She had wanted to discuss this issue with him in the morning during their ride to school, but was hesitating the whole time; afraid that he would not only understand, but also that she would be compelled to reveal more about herself to him. However, before she could respond, Rodrigo added to his question,

"Does this have something to do with Phoebe?"

"Whhyy do you say that?" she asked him nervously.

"Well, because I have been noticing that Phoebe is not really hanging out with you as before. I know she is a busy girl, but I can't help but feel that you guys seem to be a little...distant." he said.

Finally, she relented. She needed someone to speak to about this. Normally, she could always talk to Phoebe, but obviously that was no longer the case.

"Yes it does. It's just that..umm...we have been distant...and it has been bothering me. I can understand why it is happening, but I still feel..umm...not alone, but just...ignored." she said.

Rodrigo continued walking as he listened to her. He was surprised not because she was speaking to him about something important, but just how hard it is for her to even talk about it. She was very nervous.

"Why do you think that is?" he asked.

Despite that Helga had told him how devastated she was when Arnold left and how she isolated herself from everyone, except Phoebe who helped her, she never went into any serious details on just how crucial Phoebe played during those serious months.

She now had no choice but to tell him about it. Yet, why was she going to telling him? Why had she even bothered to speak to him about this?

_I already know why Phoebe and I have been a little...distant. I'm aware of that and I understand that she wants to live her life. Yet, I am still bothered by that and worse I am somehow drawn to Rodrigo to talk to him about it. Why, apart from the fact that I 'need' to talk to someone? I guess it is maybe because, despite how much I push him away, he is still there to help me. Crimeny, he IS just like Arnold! Is that why I want to talk to him about this? I guess, it is because I can trust him, trust him to not walk away. And I know he is not Arnold, but I'm conflicted if I want to talk to him because he reminds me of him or because I can trust him as a friend, as Rodrigo._ She thought frustratingly.

"I told you before that when Arnold left, how much it affected me and how it took many months just to grasp with the reality. But I omitted how much Phoebe has helped me during that time. She practically saved my life. I don't think I would be here if it wasn't for her." She confessed while looking down at the pavement.

When Rodrigo said nothing, she continued,

"During that summer, Phoebe would come over to my house almost every day, making sure I would eat, have someone to talk to and sometimes, have someone to comfort me. I wouldn't say I contemplated suicide, but I did contemplate in hurting myself, several times. She practically had no summer that year; she took care of me."

"She didn't try to bathe me, mind you." She said smiling, trying to make a joke from her otherwise sad story. "But she made sure I would actually take a bath by reminding me and helping me out of my bed."

"Whenever she was not able come over, she would call me and we would speak on the phone. Sometimes the calls lasted only a few minutes, other times an hour or two. The times when she did come over, she would often bring food for me."

"About a week before school started, I gathered enough strength to realize just how much my situation had affected her. By that stage, she was not only completely exhausted, she was emotionally drained. I could see it in her eyes. She ended up talking to me almost as a robot, and unable to pay attention to even the smallest details. Yet, throughout this whole ordeal, she never complained, never frowned or scowled at me. Just took it like a champ and she marched on to help me. I knew that with school starting soon, she needed to prepare herself and at that point, she was in no condition to start the year. She would have failed her classes. So I pulled whatever strength I had and told her to stop coming over my house and to start taking care of herself. Surprisingly she protested, but I was firm and she eventually relented. She got some much needed sleep and got all of her class materials and resources. I even went with her to school to get our agendas early on. I was still in no condition to be left alone, but I knew that it was the best for her. She helped me long enough, as any friend should. She still helped me, especially when school started, but it was no longer with the same intensity and commitment as during that summer. Gradually, as I was able to get out of my depression, I needed less and less of her help."

"Needless to say, this whole thing took its toll on her and when I was fully able to be independent and be on my own, she took the opportunity to do whatever she wanted to do. She hangout more with Gerald, took more after school activities etc.

_Where were her parents during all of this?!_ He thought angrily. He already knew the answer, but he felt compelled to ask her anyways.

"Helga, where were your parents during all of this?" he asked with serious tone while looking straight ahead.

Helga could tell that Rodrigo was becoming angry at the thought that her parents completely ignored her during this serious time period. He was showing it in his face; he was seriously frowning, almost showing his teeth.

"They were around, but largely ignored me. I didn't show them my condition. I usually just stayed in my room and whenever I have to come down, I acted as normally as I could." she said.

Rodrigo then stopped walking and simply looked down the floor, his anger reaching the boiling point.

"You mean to tell me that you attempted to hurt yourself and your parents did not have the courtesy to at least look after you during that time? Your best friend ended up doing what was essentially their job?" he asked rhetorically.

He several deep breathes, trying desperately not to explode. Eventually, unable to withstand it, he suddenly started to violently kick a public trash can. He hit it so hard that he dislodged it from the pole that was holding it down.

Helga looked on and waited for him to calm down. She wasn't sure what to make of this. She didn't know if she should be flattered that Rodrigo cared that much about her situation or if she should be ticked off that he was fuming over something that was not his problem. Even Arnold did not show that much anger toward her parents. True, he didn't like them for the way they were treating her, but he also knew that they may their own issues that they still needed to deal with.

_Yet, it would have been nice if Arnold did exhibit some anger in the way Rodrigo is showing right now. I guess it shows that just how much my parent's neglect is affecting him._ She thought.

"I'm sorry Helga, but I honestly cannot stand how your parents are so neglectful. You're right, had it not been for Phoebe, you wouldn't be here right now." he said, while looking away, attempting to hide the hurt he felt for her.

Despite her ambivalent feelings, she decided to say, "It's alright. Thanks for caring at least."

Once he calmed down a bit, they started walking again. Rodrigo asked her to continue. Helga then told him about the incident that happened between her and Gerald more than three years ago and how upsetting it was for Phoebe. She explained that she realized that their friendship started to become distant on that day, when she almost beat up her boyfriend for trying to help her and how neither of them have ever mentioned it again.

"I see." said Rodrigo.

"I just want to make amends with her, but I'm unsure on how to do that." she said.

_I'm not sure why she is asking for help on this. It is pretty obvious what she must do in order to make amends. She has to speak with her and apologize. I think that must be why, because she does not want bring up a painful subject to Phoebe._ he thought.

"I'll be direct with you Helga. I think you do know. You have to speak to her about it."

"I'm afraid I might hurt her if I bring it up."

*sigh* "Helga, you don't have to worry about that; she is already hurt." he said.

Helga said nothing and merely absorbed the hard truth.

_He's right, I've already hurt her. I have to talk to her and apologize._ She thought.

"I'm sorry if I was being too direct." he added.

"No, you're right. There is no sense in hiding it. It's the truth. I was just afraid of bringing it up to her. I know she is not going to take it kindly to remind her of this, but it is affecting our friendship and I just don't want to lose her." she said.

"You won't Helga. Despite how hurt she may have been, she still was there for you when you needed someone after Arnold left. So at least that must mean that she still cares about you deeply. Phoebe is a rational person and I know that she will accept your apology. It is never too late to apologize." he assured her.

"Thanks Latino boy." she said with a smile.

"You know, you really shouldn't be so hard on yourself. I know you have made mistakes, but you are not the only one. We all have made mistakes. You are not alone in this." he said

"Apparently not everyone thinks so." she countered.

"They don't know you that well. But you can't blame them for that." he said.

"It's a hard position for them to be in. They only see what you allow them to see and unfortunately that's all they have to go by. If it wasn't for Phoebe or Arnold, I think it would have been worse, so you can't hold it against them for being a bit biased towards you." he added.

"I don't really. It would be nice if they weren't so judgemental. I mean, Arnold was able to see past my though exterior without me really revealing anything." she said.

"And therein lies the paradox. Not everyone can be as observant, or as patient as Arnold. What did you expect them to do if all they see is your tough exterior and whenever they try to get close, you just scowl at them? When I first arrived and realized the nature of your predicament with our friends, I thought for sure that it was just a serious misunderstanding, one that I thought I could easily resolve. But now I realize that it is a serious complication that I cannot untangle it unless someone comes forward first." said Rodrigo.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Despite what you have gone through, I cannot blame them for acting they way they being distant towards you, but I also I cannot blame you for not trusting them. I understand both situations and it has become a vicious cycle. The only way I can see it breaking is if either you or someone in our group comes forward and realizes their mistake. I guess that is what Arnold has been waiting for. I always wondered why he never tried to either get you or them to move with this, but now I see why and it not an easy decision." he explained.

"Hm, interesting. I saw Gerald on that Friday night when you guys went to the arcade. I don't know what you guys spoke about, but he apologized to me for not giving me a proper chance, to see me the way Arnold and Phoebe did and not judge me so much for what I did in the past." she pointed out.

"Oh really? That is interesting! What happened after?" he asked.

"I was surprised and attempting to be bold, I offered to see if we can try again to reconcile, but he refused, saying that that 'ship has sailed long ago'. He then walked home and I just went for my walk." she told him.

"What? Really?! You gotta be kidding me! What was the point in apologizing to you if he was not going to attempt to reconcile? It made the whole apologizing scene utterly useless!" he exclaimed with frustration.

"That's what I thought. But I can't blame him. I've caused a lot of headaches for him, Arnold and Phoebe and there was no guarantee that it was going to work this time. When Arnold left, I hardly ever saw Gerald. I think that with Arnold no longer here, there was less incentive for him to have anything to do with me." she said.

Rodrigo just sighed in disappointment, but he did not feel defeated. He still had hope for her to reconcile with everyone, including Gerald.

"Ya, Gerald also told me about that incident that happened when he tried to inquire on your home situation." he said.

"And?" she asked.

Rodrigo went quiet for a moment before h responded, "There is nothing for me to say. What's done is done."

"You sound disappointed." she said.

"I'm disappointed at the situation. I'm disappointed in this impasse that nobody seems to be able, or willing to get past."

After another moment of silence, Rodrigo than added, "He also told me in greater detail about what you did to Arnold before you guys got together."

Helga looked at Rodrigo, but she saw that he made no facial movement after what he said. She knew that he must have been completely appalled by her actions, but nevertheless asked him.

"I already know that you are disappointed about what I did, but I'm going to ask anyways; what do you think?"

"I was appalled when he told me, so much so that if ever I get to meet Arnold, I want to ask him how he was able to forgive you."

"What makes you think he has forgiven me?" she asked.

"You don't get to be with someone and not forgive them." he confirmed. "If I had to guess, unlike Gerald who is not able to let go of the past, Arnold was able to do it. He was able to see what you would be capable of in the future, as a better person. So much so that it would wipe away the sins of your past." he added.

After another moment of silence, Helga then remembered that time when Rodrigo's grandmother left, his mental state improved considerably very fast. Remembering her curiosity on the matter,

"Hey, change in topic. When your grandmother went back home, I noticed how you quickly bounced back after her departure. Care to spill out your secret on this matter?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"There's no secret Helga. It is all just a matter of choice and guilt. My grandmother being there was just a reminder of what I lost and that's why it hurt. But once she left, there was very little to remind me of what I lost, of what I decided to lose." he tried to explain, but when he looked at Helga, he noticed that she was lost.

"Come again?" she asked.

"OK, to better explain this, can I humour you with a comparison between your situation and mine? I'm not going to compare who has it worse, nor am I attempting to 'rub salt on the wound'. I actually thought about this when you first told me about your home life and I wanted to talk to you about this earlier, but I was afraid that you might get offended.

"Go on." she assured him.

"Ok, you were born into the family that you are in now. No one can change that and you never had a choice in this matter. You have no choice but to accept it as given. The result is that this made you into an angry person and you have every right to be; that you had to inherit this while others did not. Yet, there is something that you are not required to have as a burden, and that is guilt. You have no guilt in being angry at your family for your neglect. Quite the opposite, you are free from it, free to be angry at them and not feel guilty about it because you know that they deserve it. You do not feel guilty precisely because you never made this choice to be with them."

"OK" was all she said.

"My situation is actually the reverse. I was born into a family that did show their love for me; my parents and relatives and my grandmothers. But again, this was not by choice, yet I still inherited it. Unlike you, I somewhat made the choice to become an atheist. It wasn't something that I was born with; it was something that I acquired throughout my years of studying. I could have tried to remain in my faith, but I chose to see this through 100%. Worse still, I made the choice to tell my grandmother, my family and my relatives about this. I had already assumed that they would not be happy about it, but I never considered that they show their contempt for me, up to the point where they would ostracize me and especially my parents. Yet, nevertheless it was the choice that I made and I have to take responsibility for it. The result is guilt. I now have to live with this permanent sense of painful guilt of the damage that I caused for myself, my parents and my relatives. I did not realize how much this news would have hurt them. However, this is exactly what allows me to live and still find happiness. Even though I did not get the results that I expected, I felt empowered by it. This is the life that I chose. Yes, it has its costs, but for me, it has been worth it."

"That's why I was able to bounce back so quickly after my grandmother left. All she did was just reminder me the cost of that choice that I made, the price that I paid. And even though I still live with the reminder when I walk out of my house and when I see my parents, the pain is not that bad because I know that the decision that I made years ago had led me to this place and frankly, it's been doing us good. My parents are happy living here and so am I. Plus I am able to live happily as an outcast. Even anything, I revel in it; I yearn to be different, to be an outcast. Sometimes it gets me down because being an outcast can be lonely sometimes, but the benefits outweighs the cost." he concluded.

Helga pondered on this deeply. She knew that she had always been angry at her parents for her neglect. They were her parents and it was their job to take care of her, but they never did. She did feel angry at the lack of choice in her life to choose. Even her love for Arnold was not a choice. She didn't choose to fall in love with him on that day at pre-school. It just happened. She later realized why she did with the help of DR. Bliss during their weekly therapy meetings.

"So you are saying that I never had a choice?" She asked.

"Nope. I'm saying that you never felt that you had a choice, but there is always a choice, even in the most of dire of situations." he said.

"Your problem is that you never accepted the 'benefits' that came out of your situation. In other words, you never accepted you who are now as a result of what you went through." he continued.

Helga was shocked by this assertion. There was no way that would be true.

"Now wait a minute buster, what do you mean I never accepted who I am? I'm not some insecure little girl with self-esteem issues!" she exclaimed with some anger in her voice.

"No, you are not some little girl with simply self-esteem issues. It goes much deeper that self-esteem. You always tried to hide behind this tough exterior, thinking that that exterior is only a facade. Truthfully, I also thought that. But then Gerald told me something that I think rang true. He never considered it to be a facade. On the contrary, he thinks that this tough exterior is actually part of your personality, a part of you. You are tough, you are aggressive, You do have the capacity to be violent. But, you are also kind, strong, passionate, loving, a loyal friend and girlfriend. You are both, Helga. Your problem, like our friends' problem, is that you have never been able to reconcile the two. To you and to them, you are on one end of the extremes, but not both. My point is that you are both, Helga. And the result of this extreme dualist personality is that it made you into this mature, deeply thoughtful and wise person. You are more intelligent that you let others believe and this is the result of what you went through. You wanted answers, you wanted to know why it had to be you. This yearning to want, to be loved, is what allowed you to be who you are."

Helga went completely quiet. This was a lot to taken, so much so that she started getting uncomfortable and wondered if she should continue with the subject. However, Rodrigo had one more final thing to say.

"You Helga, are the epitome of what the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche called, the _Ubermensch_."

"Uber what?" she asked.

"The _Ubermensch_. It is a German word which means, superman or superhuman. The way Nietzsche considered it is if someone who has gone through extreme challenges in life, and yet are able to not only survive, but thrive. With you, despite what you have gone through, instead of doing drugs, sex or being with the 'wrong crowd', you were able to stand fast, exert yourself through life creatively, in a way that produces something beautiful. You are intelligent, you dance very well, you speak two languages at least, and God know what else you can do. I said this to the Principal myself when I was trying to get him to reconsider your expulsion and he knew that I was right; you are not a bad person. As the Jewish philosopher Baruch de Spinoza said, 'all things excellent are as difficult as they are rare'."

Throughout the entire time, Helga made no eye contact. She just looked straight ahead, right into space, absorbing everything that Rodrigo just said about her. Never had anyone spoken so eloquently, so positive about her so-called 'negative' traits. Arnold had always said that she had great potential and always encouraged her to show it. However, he never explicitly stated how he personally felt toward her tough exterior. Ever since she confessed her love for him at San Lorenzo and start dating, he no longer took her tough exterior threateningly, unless she was angry. If anything, he sometimes took that she was being 'cute'. Yet, whenever they argued, he would sometimes see it as a nuisance, if not merely as an effect of what she goes through at home. With Rodrigo, he took it as something more positive, more profound. Yes, her tough and difficult personality was an effect, but Rodrigo also considered it as a cause to the many successes that she has had in life.

In the end, this was proving too much for Helga to handle. She eventually had to stop walking, leaned against a building wall in order to fully comprehend what Rodrigo had just said.

Rodrigo saw this and out of concern, asked her, "are you OK?"

"Ya. I was just...really taken aback from what you just said. No one has ever expressed my tough and difficult traits in the way that you just did." she said.

Rodrigo did not say anything. He just stood beside her, waiting for her to regain her composure. Yet, he was also happy with how Helga was feeling, for he knew that what he just said affected her in the way that had he intended; she took it to heart.

After a short while, Helga felt better and they both started walking again. None of them said anything to each other for a little while. Rodrigo then realized that he never did finish answering Helga's question.

"I know this was a lot to take in, but I can say something that is a little less...impactful?"

"What?" she asked.

"I'm assuming that when you asked me how I was able to bounce back so quickly after my grandmother left, you were thinking about your situation?" he asked.

Helga simply nodded in response.

"Personally, I don't agree with Arnold's idealistic optimism, but I agree on one thing that he does; he focuses on the positive and does not let all of the negativity of life get to him. There is a benefit to this; it does not allow you to hate. That is how I am able to bounce back, because I don't hate, despite what my extended family did to me. I'm angry at them, but I don't hate them. I actually understand why they did it, from their perspective. For them, it is actually appalling for someone to not believe in God. I just viciously oppose their views and the way they chose to let their contempt and anger govern their behaviour. But they made their choice to act the way they did, for my grandmother to act that way with me. I have no control over that, so I do not let that get to me. I do not let them win."

"With you Helga, because you always felt you had little to no choice, no leeway to make your own decisions, you allowed all of these negative circumstances in your life get to you. As a result, your anger turned to hate. I'm not saying that you hate people, but you hate life. On the one hand, I can't blame you for feeling like way. But on the other hand, if you allow yourself to hate, you are letting that anger win by turning it into hate. Worse still, you feel you are alone in this, but you are not. I'm here to help you. Phoebe, Arnold and everyone else is here to help you. You are not alone, Helga, despite what you may believe."

Again, Helga said nothing, nor physically reacted while Rodrigo spoke. She just took it all in. Clearly this is something that she will have to ponder about for a while.

Silence started permeating between the two teens. Nothing awkward, Rodrigo just allowed Helga to have some moment of silence to herself. It was enough for one day. Soon, they were close to the intersection where they had to depart.

"Have you thought about what you are going to say to Phoebe?" he asked her.

"You mean, since you finally stopped talking and allowing me to actually give me a space to think?" she asked with a smirk.

"Yeah, sorry. I have my moments when I talk a lot." he said sheepishly.

"Yes, I have. There is no indirect way to do this, other than to be frank with her about it and apologize. It has to be done. I just hope she will let me speak before she freaks out."

"Why would she freak out?"

"We never spoke about that incident again. We buried it deep into the past. I know that she was appalled and disappointed with the way I treated Gerald, but she let it slide. Apart from not talking to me for several days after the incident, that was all she did. She never took it out on me because of that. So I think if I bring it up, all that anger and disappointment that she felt will be brought right out."

"I see. In that case she will freak out on you, but I know she will forgive you, eventually." he said.

"I hope so." she said

"Well, good luck. Let me know when you are planning on talking to her about it and let me know if there is any way I can help. I promise I won't talk your ear off this time." he said with a smile.

"Thanks Latino boy." she said with a smile.

After saying their goodbyes, they both went their separate ways and headed home.

**Later that evening...**

_Arnoldo, what Rodrigo said about me as we were walking home today...I have no words to describe it. I have never heard anyone saying anything positive or good about my tough and difficult personality. It shook me to the core, so much so that I had to actually catch my breath, if you can believe it. Talking to Rodrigo has been helping a lot on how I see myself and see a possible future, a future where..._

Helga stopped writing, unable to finish what she really wanted to write; _a life without you_. She reframed from getting choked up about it and proceed to continue writing her letter.

_I can see myself be happy with who I am, with what I am becoming. I know that this is only the first step and I still have a long way to go. However, don't let this give you any good reason to believe that I am dropping my toughness, football head. Quite the contrary, I tend to assert it as part of me, so you can either like it or get lost! After all, what is Helga G. Pataki without my toughness?_

_I had an encounter with Gerald, where he, believe it or not, apologized to me for not seeing me as you and Phoebe saw me, for being biased. I was actually quite surprised. No doubt him talking to Rodrigo had something to do with it. It just made me think about that incident that happened more than three years ago and it still haunts me. But I intend to at least fix it with Phoebe. Gerald unfortunately still wants nothing to do with me, even after I offered to try to reconcile with him. Don't blame him though, I put him through a lot during those years so I'm not surprised. _

_With Rodrigo, the only thing that I can say about him is that, I'm glad he came into our lives; into my life. I do hope you get a chance to meet him one day. He is a great guy and I'm sure you two would get along well._

_Enough about my antics, how's school treating ya, football head? I hope you have been able to make friends. Let me know if anyone messes with you and I will personally fly down there to introduce them to old Betsy here and knock them right outta that city. If anyone is going to mess with you Arnoldo, it is moi, got it?_

_Your tormentor,_

_Helga G. Pataki_

* * *

**Before I get bombarded with any criticism on how I portrayed Arnold, I would like to point out that since the series ended with the Jungle Movie, there is no concrete evidence of Arnold ever fully coming to terms with Helga's tough exterior. Personally, I feel that in the first years of their relationship, he would have trouble reconciling her two extremities, especially since he is on the other extreme. Come on, Arnold is still a kid and he has his faults. However, there is hope that, given his observant nature, he could eventually see Helga's extremities as encompassing her personality as a whole, and no longer accepting one as true, while the other as a facade. **


	12. Chapter 12 - Inspiration

**Hi everyone! So we continue to see how Rodrigo continues to help Helga in her daily life. He decides to help her find inspiration to write poetry again through...a German philosopher and heavy metal music? **

* * *

*Rriinnngg* *Rrrinnnngg*

"Hello?" Rodrigo responded to his home phone ringing.

"Good Afternoon, may I speak with Rodrigo Castile?" The caller asked.

"Speaking."

"Hello Rodrigo. This is Jennifer Houston from the CTV Radio channel. We received your online submission for a chance to win tickets for the upcoming Linkin Park concert and I am calling to let you know that you our prime winner. Congratulations!"

"Really? I won?! Oh, thank you!" Rodrigo happily shouted.

"You're very welcome. We have emailed your two tickets through the email address that you provided us. Just print them and show them at the entrance and they will let you in. If you have any questions or concerns you can always either email us back or call us. You take care now." Jennifer said.

"I will and thanks again!" Rodrigo said. He then hanged up the phone and started jumping up and down happily.

Despite being heavily into Latin music, Rodrigo was no stranger to rock or heavy metal bands. His favorite bands were Linkin Park and Disturbed. In about a week, Linkin Park will be performing at the Hillwood Stadium and he won two tickets to see them! Talk about a stroke of luck.

_Hmm, I wonder whom I can take with me?_ He thought.

**The next day during lunchtime...**

Rodrigo entered the lunchroom and as usual, saw all of his friends at their usual sitting table, except Helga. Not being bothered by her absence, he quickly approached their table, eager to find out who how would like to see Linkin Park with him.

"Hey guys." Rodrigo greeted them. Everyone greeted him back. "Guess what?" He continued. "I just won two tickets to see Linkin Park this weekend. Anyone down to see it with me?" He eagerly asked.

To his surprise, his friends did not seem too eager to fight over that extra ticket.

"No thank you Rodrigo." Phoebe said while continuing to read.

"No thanks, man. I'm more into jazz and rap" Gerald admitted.

"I like heavy metal, but I don't consider Linkin Park to be a heavy metal band; more like an alternative rock band, which I'm not into, sorry." Sid said.

_What?! Sid, those are fighting words!_ Rodrigo thought annoyingly.

"I don't like music, it gives me a headache." Harold said.

"Gosh sorry Rodrigo, but I'm not into rock." Eugene said.

"Neither am I, sorry Rod" Stinky also said.

He looked toward the girls and asked, "What about you ladies?"

"Sorry Rodrigo." Sheena responded back while shaking her head.

"I would come, but I've already made plans for that weekend. Sorry Rodrigo." Nadine confessed.

"I'm ever so flattered you asked, but I'm not into rock." Lila said.

Finally, Rodrigo looked at Rhonda, hoping if she would say yes, although he wasn't holding his breath.

"Now I know you did not just ask me to attend a concert that permeates in low class culture, did you Rodrigo?" Rhonda asked.

"Low class?! This band puts a lot emotional and poetic gestures into their songs. They tell a story about how people feel and how they see things, psychologically speaking." Rodrigo protested.

"Sure they do Rodrigo. " Rhonda said while rolling her eyes.

"Sheesh, désolé Rhonda. Je suis sȗr que personne ne veut te voir á perdre tes cellules du cerveau." (Sheesh, sorry Rhonda. I'm sure that nobody wants to see you lose your brain cells) Rodrigo mockingly responded back.

Rhonda simply smiled back, being a little glad that Rodrigo still maintained some level of culture in him.

"Seriously, you guys suck." Rodrigo bluntly told everyone.

_Great, what am I doing to do with this extra ticket? I guess I'll just sell it on Amazon or Ebay. At least, I'll make some money._ He thought.

Just then, Phoebe suggested, "why don't you ask Helga? I'm sure she would like to go with you and I know that she is also into heavy metal."

"Alternative rock." Sid attempted to correct her.

"Sid! You and I are going to have a talk about that later." Rodrigo exclaimed.

But Sid merely laughed and said, "hehe, bring it on."

Ignoring him, he looked at Phoebe and said, "Helga? Well, I could. Do you think she will really go?"

"After the dance you and her did at Rhonda's Halloween party, anything is possible." Phoebe said.

"Ok, I'll go ask her. Any ideas where she is right now, Pheebs?" Rodrigo asked.

"I think she said she is going to try and enroll in an after school activity, but I'm not sure which one. She never specified." Phoebe said.

_After school activity? Is she going to enroll in the poetry club? That's good! I hope so._ He thought.

"Thanks Phoebe. I think I know where she is." Rodrigo said with a smile. After saying a quick goodbye to everyone, he went off to find Helga.

As Rodrigo went on his way, he frowned at the thought of asking Helga to go with them. He was not particularly happy about asking her. After what happened at Rhonda's party, he did not want her attitude to ruin his night in seeing Linkin Park. The only reason why he is willing to ask her is because she eventually pulled through that night and they ended up having a good time. Besides, at this point, he had no one else to ask.

_Hopefully she is in a good mood today_. He thought.

For almost 10 minutes, Helga had been standing just outside the room where the poetry club members were having their meeting. For 10 minutes she contemplated going in, yet each time she remained motionless, unable to even left her hand to grab the doorknob.

Rodrigo was quickly making his way towards the room and had just made the turn, when he stopped suddenly at the sight of seeing Helga there, just standing at the entrance. After several seconds, he realized that she did not see him and so quietly, retraced his steps and moved back into the corner, where he could see her, hoping if she would gather enough strength to go inside.

After one of their previous dancing practices, Helga told Rodrigo about she used to write poetry and short stories years back. Considering how much Helga loved to dance, he was not surprised by this. He then asked her when did she stop writing, to which she responded back, "about two years ago." Curiously, he then asked her why she stopped writing, to which she replied back, "I lost my motivation to write, my passion, my creativity." However, when he then asked her what made her lost her passion and creativity, she said nothing, hinting that she did not wish to reveal that to him. Rodrigo suspected that given how Arnold left around the same time, it may have something to do with him, but he did not press Helga with any further questions on the matter. She did tell him though that since she started high school, she has been trying to back into writing, only to fail repeatedly. She only took up dancing out of frustration and as a substitute for her lack of ability to write anything. Despite how much she likes to dance, writing poetry and short stories was her passion, it is where she had always excelled at; it is what made Helga, Helga.

As Helga continued to stand at the entrance, she contemplated on what exactly she was going to write about. Oh she already knew, but she was not able to write about that. It is one of the reasons why she kept on hesitating from writing again. More than a year after Arnold left, Helga actually started writing poetry again, but to her dismay, she could only write about her love for him and nothing else. With Arnold now being gone, this no longer made sense, and worse, writing about him was a painful reminder, so much so, that she was never able to finish any of her poems, resulting in always tearing it up. So, she stopped writing and vowed not to start it up again until she was able to write something else, something else that inspired her. She has been stuck ever since.

As Rodrigo looked on, he cheered for her in thought, _come on Helga, you can do it; just go inside and listen to what other people have to say about their poetry. You can draw inspiration from them._

Finally, Helga relented and started to walk away the other way, feeling defeated yet again.

_Damn it! Not again._ He thought.

He moved back from the corner and just sighed. He cannot imagine how demoralized Helga must be feeling right now. He wanted to help her out, help her find her inspiration again. But how and what?

Then, he remembered the extra concert ticket he still had in his pocket and thought that perhaps going there would help her.

_It couldn't hurt to try. It's not as if what she has been doing has been helping her._ He thought.

**History class...**

When their history class was about to start, Rodrigo came in and saw that Helga was already in her seat, sadly writing away. He calmly walked to towards his seat and sat down. He had previously pondered if he should tell her that he saw her standing at the club entrance.

"Hey" he said.

When Helga said nothing, he continued.

"I'm sorry, Helga"

"For what?" she asked. That got her attention.

"I saw you standing at the poetry club entrance during lunchtime and...I saw that you did not go in." he said.

Before Helga could say anything, he quickly continued on, "I know you said you have been struggling to write again, and I think I may be able to help you with that. And no, I was not spying on you, if that is what you are thinking."

"How?" she asked, while looking dead straight at Rodrigo.

"Well, the reason why I was looking for you is because I won two concert tickets to see this band perform and I think you going to see them could help."

"Please explain how going to some dumb rock band is going to help me write again." she asked him, now growing more irritating.

Rodrigo thought carefully on what to say. He then confidently looked straight at her eyes and said,

"Inspiration. This band has been known to write very deep and inspiring lyrics. And we all know that music looks deep into the dark essence of the human soul. Heavy metal music especially, has the ability to do that."

"Look Latino boy, I don't need some dumb band to help me get inspired, and I don't need your help in telling me what to write." Helga barked back.

Rodrigo had anticipated her saying something defensive, so he came prepared this time.

"Actually you do, because this 'dumb' band and myself have something that you no longer have." he countered.

Helga was taken aback by his response, but said nothing.

"Look Helga, I'm not telling you what, nor how you should write. All I am offering is helping you find your inspiration back so you can write again, that's all. Just a little push" he said.

"So how about it? I'm sure you got nothing else to do this weekend." he continued with a smile this time.

After some time, Helga merely said, "Let me think about it."

"OK." he said, but then quickly added, "I'll make sure my cell is on this time."

Helga simply rolled her eyes at his comment, just as the teacher was starting their class.

Once history class was over, Rodrigo stood up and was making his way towards the exit when Helga called out to him.

"What band is going to be performing?"

"Linkin Park"

"Linkin Park? I already heard some of their songs and lyrics. How is going to see them going to inspire me?"

"Have you ever listened to their songs? Listened to what they are actually saying?" he asked.

"Are you deaf? I just said I've heard some of their songs." she retorted.

"I know you have heard some of their songs, but have you actually listened to them? There is a difference between hearing and listening. Plus, there is also a difference between sitting in your room, alone and hearing their music, than going to see them, along with 40,000 other people, all chanting and listening in, allowing you to...feel their words and be involved, being part of the world." He responded.

"What I think maybe the problem is that you have lost your Dasein." He continued.

"My Da-what?"

"Your Dasein. It is a term that the German philosopher Martin Heidegger used to refer to a person who is being in the world, heavily involved in it. I can explain more on how this relates to you if you decide to come with me to the concert." he said.

"How do you know if this will work?" she asked.

"I don't. But it's your choice."

**Later that evening...**

As Rodrigo was working on his homework, his cell vibrated. He grabbed it and saw that he got a text message, from Helga.

**Helga: Hey, you still got that extra ticket for that concert?**

**Rodrigo: Yup.**

**Helga: Ok, I'll go with you.**

**Rodrigo: Great. I can pick up from your house.**

**Helga: This better work, bucko!**

**Rodrigo: That'll be up to you on how you see things, Helga. Besides you are attending a concert for free, what are you complaining about?**

**Helga: pfft, whatever Latino boy, just make sure you get to my house on time**

**Rodrigo: ;)**

**On the night of the concert...**

Helga was attempting to find what to wear for the concert. Seeing as how it is a heavy metal band, she was trying to go for a little more...punkish. However, in the end, she just grabbed some jeans, a pink shirt with a black sweater and a jacket.

Despite Rodrigo's confidence, she was still skeptical about all of this. She didn't understand how seeing a heavy metal band was going to inspire her to find her...Dasein?

_What does that word even mean? What does 'being in the world', have to do with writing poetry? And where have I heard of that German guy before? _She thought.

Rodrigo was also getting ready to go to the concert. He decided to wear regular jeans, with a dark blue sweater. He also decided to wear his leather jacket, along with his fedora hat. He was grateful that his father had given him permission to use the car tonight to drive to downtown Hillwood, otherwise, it would have been a long bus ride there.

As soon as he was ready, he went out, turned on the car and drove to Helga's house. Once he arrived, he texted her to come out. 4 minutes later, she came out, sat on the passenger's seat and Rodrigo started driving.

As they were driving to the stadium, Helga decided to ask him more about what this German word meant.

"So, what is Dasein?"

"It is a bit of a complicated word. It literally means 'being there'. Yet, the way Heidegger meant it, it was more complex. From my understanding, on the one hand, it refers to a person literally being part of the world, from going to school, to associating with your friends, having a career, family, being affected by natural disasters, etc. On the other hand, because a person is involved in the world, that person is not just being affected by that world; he or she can also be an active agent in creating that world. You with me so far?" Rodrigo said.

"I guess so."

"Great. So any person that is both being affected, but also having an effect on the world around him, is what Heidegger called, an 'authentic' being. An authentic person is essentially someone who is being engaged by the world, but also engaging in it. The opposite of that is an 'inauthentic' person or being that is not being an active agent in the world; the person merely allows the world to affect him, while not influencing it. You Helga, are an inauthentic' person. Your issue is that you allow the world to influence you, to affect you, but you make little to no attempt to influence it, to engage in it, creatively. What's more, I think that you have become detached from this world, believing that you are distinct from it and you want nothing to do with it. I can understand that, but unfortunately that is not an option. Whether you like to accept it or not, unless you decide to engage in this world, you lose your own individuality, your own sense of being, as a person."

"So you are saying that I am nothing more than this world's puppet? That I merely let it influence me and just react to it, but make no attempt to change it in a way that allows me to live life as my own sense of self?" She asked.

"Precisely."

"What does this crap have to do with me writing poetry?" Helga asked with an irritating tone.

Undeterred by her irritation, Rodrigo continued. "You spend so much time merely reacting what the world throws at you, that you spend little time in 'creatively' trying to affect it. Think of a metaphor between a slave and its master. How can the slave do what it wants if the master is always there, telling the slave what to do?"

"I'm not sure how or under what circumstances you lost your creativity to write. Whatever happened, whatever event came at you, it must have been so great and so destructive that even two years later, you are reeling from its affect. Its influence is so great still, that you are unable to get off of you."

Rodrigo heavily suspects that this 'great event' was Arnold's departure, but because Helga never directly told him that this was the case, he did not wish to reveal what he may already know to her. With Helga, it is always best if you just allow her to tell you.

Helga did not respond back, as she plunged into deep thought about what Rodrigo had just said. Rodrigo realized this and made no attempt to get her out of it. On the contrary, he wanted her to think about it.

After a moment of silence, she then asked him,

"And you think that going to this concert is going to make this 'influence' get off my back and allow me to achieve Dasein?"

"Perhaps. I'm not sure, but Linkin Park did help me." He admitted.

"And if it doesn't help me?"

"Then, it doesn't. But at least you got to go outside and see a concert. I'm sure it would have been better than you just moping around in your room, right?" He said with a smirk.

Helga just gave him a weak smirk before looking straight again.

Wanting to lighten the mood, he then turned on the radio and put on a CD

The song, called Last Resort by Papa Roach started to play.

_Cut my life into pieces, this is my last resort_

_suffocation, no breathing, don't give a f***_

_if I cut my arm bleeding._

_This is my last resort._

_Cut my life into pieces..._

"Ever heard of this song before?" Rodrigo asked loudly.

"No!"

"Good, listen to it and enjoy the night!"

Rodrigo then turned up the volume even more, lowered down the front windows and as he was getting into the highway, and started speeding up.

_Cuz I'm losing my sight, losing my mind_

_wish somebody would tell me I'm fine._

_Losing my sight, losing my mind_

_wish somebody would tell me I'm fine._

_Nothing is alright. Nothing is fine._

_I'm running and crying..._

Helga did begin to enjoy herself and started getting into the music, raising her arms in excitement as Rodrigo sped up, allowing the cold air to circulate inside the car and around their bodies.

**20 minutes later...**

_It's my life. It's now or never_

_I ain't gonna live for forever_

_I just wanna life while_

_I'm alive (It's my life)_

_My heart is like an open highway_

_Like Frankie said I did it my way._

_I just wanna life while I'm alive._

_It's my life..._

Rodrigo was able to find a parking spot not far from the stadium. He turned off the radio. Then they got out of the car and walked toward the main entrance. Rodrigo showed them their tickets and the personnel let them in without issue. The stadium was already getting packed, making the journey to their seats rather challenging. Luckily, they found them without issue and sat down, waiting for the concert to begin.

"Ugh, no doubt the band will start 20-30 minutes late, just to increase the anxiety that is already rising up in here." Helga said.

"I won't be surprised."

After sitting for some minutes, Helga asked,

"So how do I go about achieving this, Dasein?"

"By immersing yourself into the music and the crowd. Let me ask you a question. The first time we danced, we started off badly. But when I asked you to not think about it, to just feel it, what happened?"

"I closed my eyes and let the music feel right through me. I guess in a way, I let the music become part of me, in which I was able to feel it and allow my body follow to its beat." She explained.

"Exactly! So do the same here. The only major difference here is that you will be doing it with 40,000 other people. You will feel lost, but not alone. But you can only do it if you allow yourself do it. Don't force it; otherwise it will not work, got it?"

"I guess."

Sure enough, the stadium darkened, then the lights went bright, some moving around randomly, while others were lightening the stage. Then, before appearing, Linkin Park started to play their first music,

"Good luck and enjoy." Rodrigo said to Helga before Linkin Park appeared on stage.

Then, out of the darkness, the lead singer appeared and started singing. It was very hard to see him, as the person looked somewhat transparent; often appearing, then disappearing whenever the lights moved away. It was as if he was a ghost. Yet, there was no doubt on anyone's mind who that person was. One could tell by the raw emotion coming out, followed by his soft and delicate singing tone: Chester Bennington.

_Crawling in my skin, these wounds they will not heal_

_Fear is how I fall, confusing what is real!_

_There's something inside me that pulls beneath the surface_

_Consuming, confusing. This lack of self control I fear is never ending_

_Controlling, I can't seem To find myself again My walls are closing in_

_Without a sense of confidence And I'm convinced That there's just too much pressure to take_

_I've felt this way before, so insecure!_

The song Helga heard, instantly sent a cold shiver down her spine, as it described her situation perfectly. Despite it being more than two years, her wounds still have not healed. Despite trying desperately for two years to regain her composure, her passion, her life, she has repeatedly failed. Fear, the fear of loss, of never regaining any sense of purpose or happiness, this fear has plagued her since she was three years of age, and it had only intensified during the last two years, preventing her from fully embracing herself, her sense of being, her life back!

_Crawling in my skin, these wounds they will not heal_

_Fear is how I fall, confusing what is real_

_Crawling in my skin, these wounds they will not heal_

As she continued to listen, she saw that Rodrigo was already immersed into the song, singing, along with everyone else. Indeed, seeing everyone being completely into the music, into the words that the band was playing, they were all entwined with each other.

As Rodrigo predicted, Helga began to feel lost among this 40,000 audience, as they all concentrated their sights and energy toward the stage. It was a bit overwhelming because she felt out of place, as if she didn't belong there. Yet, she also knew that these people did not know each other, yet they were willing to come together, herself included, for one purpose, to enjoy not just the band and its music, but in a way, each other. They were all Linkin Park fans and it is this prevailing notion, this love for their music, is what drove them together and it is what is allowing them to embrace each other. It was then that Helga understood what Rodrigo meant by being lost but not alone.

Taking his advice, she didn't hear the song; she listened to it, allowing herself to consume the words. Slowly, but surely, she also began to embrace this togetheredness, this Dasein. It was not long before she not only began to participate, but feel that she was not really alone. She wanted to participate, she wanted to belong! No, that wasn't enough! she wanted to do her part and change this world, to influence it because she also mattered, not just to herself, but also to others! Whether they knew her, it mattered not. She was here to stay and she became more determined to make her mark. She felt this sense of thrill, this sense of excited adrenaline pumping through her body. She wanted to rip this world apart, not out of hatred or for its unfairness, but to change it in order to include her in it!

Then the band started playing a new song, one that struck Helga a deep chord. She felt her heart stop beating as she gasped for air, while Linkin Park played _New Divide._

_So give me reason  
To prove me wrong  
To wash this memory clean  
Let the floods cross  
The distance in your eyes  
Give me reason  
To fill this hole  
Connect this space between  
Let it be enough to reach the truth that lies  
Across this new divide._

_There was nothing inside  
The memories left abandoned  
There was nowhere to hide  
The ashes fell like snow  
And the ground caved in  
Between where we were standing  
And your voice was all I heard  
That I get what I deserve_

_So give me reason  
To prove me wrong  
To wash this memory clean  
Let the floods cross  
The distance in your eyes  
Across this…_

As she sang along, she felt tears falling down her cheeks. The song felt exactly how she felt about her situation with Arnold: all she had of him were memories, beautiful, yet fleeting memories of their time together. From the way he looked before he left, to the way they would hold hands together, to even their rough times. They were only whispers in her mind, coming often, only to disappear, resulting in her falling back down to reality while all she heard was his voice.

More than halfway in to concert, while still fully into the music, she began to mentally see words. At first, it was only few words here and there, then they disappeared. However, it started to slowly increase in appearance, then in intensity. These words were not just appearing before her eyes, they were hitting right smack in the face. She was feeling something, she was feeling that these words had a poetic rhythm to them. But they were not the words that Linkin Park were singing, at least not all of them As the concert progressed, she slowly started to realized that she was starting to make her own poetic rhythm. She was no longer just listening to the band singing, she was taking the words and re-wording them to her own fashion.

_Am I regaining my creativity?_ She thought.

Once the concert ended, the entire stadium brightened, with Linkin Park expressing their thank you and gratitude. Chester Bennington gave a bow and blew kisses to everyone who made it out that night. Then, as the lights moved away from where he stood, he disappeared. The rest of the band then followed suit, walking back towards the back of the stage.

Rodrigo looked at Helga, who was still in a trance by the whole experience, asked her,

"Well, how was it?"

"It was...it was..." She started to say with a bright smile, but could not find the right words to expressing what she was feeling.

"It's ok. I'm glad you enjoyed it." he said.

The driving home was quiet. Helga was still in a bliss, but still not able to explain the sensation she felt. Rodrigo wanted to say something, but felt no words were needed. It was best to let Helga think about how she was feeling.

Just then, she spoke up and asked him,

"Are you hungry?"

"Starving, actually. You wanna go somewhere and get a bite to eat?" he asked.

"Ya, just somewhere around our neighborhood." She said.

Rodrigo pulled up to a burger joint not far from their homes. After ordering some food, they paid for it, sat down and began to eat.

"I take it you are still at a loss on how to describe what you feeling?" he asked.

"Ya."

"Can you at least tell me if you enjoyed it or if you are just planning on murdering me?" He jokingly asked.

"I enjoyed it...thanks for taking me there. Really, thanks" Helga confirmed with a smile.

"No problem. I hope it helps you."

"I think it will. I think I got this whole Dasein thing." she said.

As they ate their food quietly, Rodrigo thought, _well this worked better than I thought. _

"It's not just about being at a concert. What you experienced there, could also be experienced at any other event, even at church. That is why people attend such events. In my opinion, the real connection between Dasein and Linkin Park lies in the distinction between the band's lyrics and its music. The lyrics essentially describe about life's struggles; the struggle of not just facing serious challenges in life, but also in fighting from being a simple imprint of life. But you, like everyone else, also want to establish your own imprint, your own piece of creative work in this world. That is where the music comes in. It gives you that drive to move forward, to move past beyond the burdens of life and to actually succeed in it. Basically the music creates this outlet where you can give life the middle finger. Linkin Park's music gives you that outlet, this sense of empowerment. That is what Linkin Park is about; it is about not just enduring it, but also overcoming it. And Dasein is essentially about the struggle between being a mere imprint in life or about making your own imprint in it." He explained.

_This kid is something else..._she thought with a smile on her face.

"How do you know all of this; this word Dasein and everything else?" she asked.

"I read a lot. Despite how sociable of a person I may be, I am actually quite a loner. I spend a lot of my time reading books and analyzing stuff. I'm actually a rather introverted person. I spend more time analyzing people, rather than meeting them. My father has been a huge influence on me when it comes to this. He introduced me to philosophy, all of the social science and the arts, although I have never considered myself to be an artist; more like an amateur philosopher." he explained.

"Why just last week, I took home around 10 books from the school library just to read during the weekend. And that does not include the books from our classes." he continued.

"You are such a bookworm." she said to him.

"I'm an intellectual." he corrected her.

"Does you spending a lot of time reading have anything to do with what happened with your family back home?" she asked.

"More or less. I was like this even before I clashed with my family, and I became even more so after. That's why I kind of know what it is like to not be understood, to feel alone, to go about your life while everyone seems to be enjoying theirs in blissful ignorance, while you are fully aware of the challenges and struggles of life. You know what it means to suffer, and that makes you a wiser person than the average Joe."

"You think I am wise?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I think you are more aware of your psychology and emotions than most people are of theirs. I think you are more grateful and appreciative of the tiniest amounts of happiness that life throws at you than most people are. For you, just being with Arnold would have been enough; that would have made you happy, not wealth or power or fame. I think that not only makes you wiser, but also authentically human." Rodrigo explained.

"Well...thanks" Helga said, unable to say anything else.

Just then, she remembered where she said heard the name of that German philosopher.

"Wasn't Heidegger a member of the Nazi party during his time?"

Rodrigo looked up at Helga, not surprised at how she knew about this.

"Yes, he was and after the war, he was mostly unrepentant, which has made him more controversial."

"So you are taking philosophical discourses from a guy that supported a regime that killed millions?" Helga asked with a smirk.

"Don't mistake his politics with his philosophy. Despite his support for the Nazi regime, his philosophy is sound and whether we like it or not, cannot be ignored. I told you before that Aristotle was one of the greatest philosophers ever. Yet he was also, by our standards at least, sexist and racist. And while we can question some of their ideas, there are other ideas that are such mind blowing that they cannot, nor should they be ignored." he explained.

"Besides," he continued on, "from what I can gather, it seems that his philosophy is helping you, so it cannot be all that bad."

"Sure, whatever floats your boat, Latino boy." Helga said while smiling.

**Two weeks later...**

Helga was at home during the evening while finishing up her letter to Arnold.

_Well football head, I am proud to say that I finally joined the poetry club at our school. A few days after going to the Linkin Park concert, I was finally inspired to write. Yes, you heard that right, bucko; Helga Pataki is back to writing poetry again. When I attended one of the poetry club's meetings, I had the chance to read my script and needless to say, people were impressed with what I wrote. I tried not let that get into my ego. I have Rodrigo to thank for this...and that Nazi guy Martin Heidegger. Don't worry your big football head, I have no intentions of backing out and I intent to making the most of it._

_I have written a piece here that I would like to share with you whenever you come by and visit us at Hillwood. No, I'm not going mail this to you, just in case if some dumb post personnel decides to open it and read it. You know my paranoia with my poems being exposed._

_How's the cultural life in the new city? Met any famous poems or artist yet? I hope your parents are also getting a chance to enjoy the city and not just work, work, work._

_Votre artiste amie,_

_Helga G. Pataki_

Once Helga completed her letter, she carefully placed inside her binder and then put it back inside her closet. She then laid down on her bed, put her headphones on, and started listening to one of the Link Park songs that she heard at the concert that night: _Papercut_.

_Why does it feel like night today?_

_Something in the air's not right today_

_Why am I so uptight today?_

_Paranoia's all I got left_

_I don't know what stressed me first_

_Or how the pressure was fed_

_But I know just what it feels like_

_To have a voice in the back of my head_

_Like a face that I hold inside_

_A face that awakes when I close my eyes_

_A face watches every time I lie_

_A face that laughs every time I fall_

_(It watches everything)_

_So I know now when it's time to sink or swim_

_That the face inside is hearing me_

_Right beneath my skin_

_It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back_

_It's like a whirlwind inside of my head_

_It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within_

_It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin_

_I know I've got a face in me_

_Points out all my mistakes to me_

_You've got a face on the inside too_

_Your paranoia's probably worse_

_I don't know what set me off first but I know what I can't stand_

_Everybody acts like the fact of the matter is_

_I can't add up to what you can but_

_Everybody has a face that they hold inside_

_A face that awakes when I close my eyes_

_A face that watches every time they lie_

_A face that laughs every time they fall_

_(It watches everything)_

_So you know that when it's time to sink or swim_

_That the face inside is watching you too_

_Right inside your skin_

_It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back_

_It's like a whirlwind inside of my head_

_It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within_

_It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin_

_It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back_

_It's like a whirlwind inside of my head_

_It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within_

_It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin_

_The face inside is right beneath your skin_

_The face inside is right beneath your skin_

_The face inside is right beneath your skin_

_The sun goes down_

_I feel the light betray me_

_The sun goes down_

_I feel the light betray me_

_It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back_

_It's like a whirlwind inside of my head_

_It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within_

_It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin_

_It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back_

_It's like a whirlwind inside of my head_

_It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within_

_It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within_

_It's like I can't stop what I'm hearing within_

_It's like the face inside is right beneath my skin_

* * *

**That about wraps it up. I hope this was enlightening for you guys. **

**I wanted to make this story as a small tribute to the late lead singer, Chester Bennington who passed away in 2017. His voice showed the passion and raw emotion of the band and he will be greatly missed. RIP.**


	13. Chapter 13 - A Phantom at the Opera

**Hi everyone! So I want to take a break between Rodrigo and Helga and focus on some of the other characters. Rhonda Lloyd has tickets to attend an opera, but her parents are unable to go with her. Who should she ask to go with her? Who does she think is cultured enough?**

* * *

Rhonda was having dinner with her parents on a typical evening weekday. She had just finished discussing her day at school.

"Rhonda my dear, I'm glad that your schooling has been going so well." her father, Buckley Lloyd praised his daughter.

"Thank you daddy. I'm glad as well to have been able to keep my marks up to good height. I'm sure it will no doubt allow me to get into any prestigious university."

"Well my dear, considering your good grades, I have a surprise for you. I have two tickets for the opera at the Hillwood Grand Theatre. They will be playing Richard Wagner's _The Valkyrie._" he announced.

"Really? Oh daddy, thank you!" Exclaimed Rhonda, as she jumped out from her seat to hug her both her parents.

"It is not a problem Rhonda darling. You have earned it." Her mother, Brooke Lloyd said to her.

Just then, Rhonda realized that her father said 'two tickets'.

"Wait daddy, did you just say two tickets? You both will not be going to attend the opera this coming weekend?" She asked.

"Unfortunately my dear that is so. I have a business meeting to attend to at New York City that weekend." Buckley confirmed.

"I too will not be able to attend the opera with you Rhonda. I have a charity event on that weekend as well. I missed last year's so I dare not miss it again. It is for a good cause." Brooke also confirmed.

"That is why I got two tickets. You can bring a friend with you for the opera."

Rhonda was not very pleased with her father's assumption that her friends will enjoy the opera. They were not the most 'cultured' bunch. She hesitated now whether to even go.

"Well thank you daddy, but I'm not sure if my friends will find the opera enjoyable. They are not the most refined bunch." She said.

Buckley merely stood there and gave his daughter a suspicious look.

"You sound so sure my dear. Have you ever asked them to attend an opera session with you before?"

"Well no, I haven't. I have always gone with you both." She confirmed.

"Well then, how do you know if they will enjoy it if you never asked them? Don't assume that just because they are of lower class does not mean they would not enjoy going to the opera, darling. Just ask if any of them would be interested in going. Who knows, you might be surprised on who might be interested." Brooke added.

"Well, I suppose I could. I'll ask my friends tomorrow if anyone of them can be my escort." said Rhonda.

_Although I seriously doubt any of them will actually be interested in this. I'll ask Nadine first._ She thought.

**The next day...**

As Rhonda walked to her first morning class, she had misgivings about asking any of her friends to go with her to the opera. There are only a few people that came to mind who would be in any way interested: Nadine, Helga and Rodrigo. She had originally also considered Gerald, but he never showed any interest in opera and the last time they went to one, back in the fourth grade, Rhonda saw that he put on his headphones and dozed off during the performance, so she scratched him out.

She decided to first ask Nadine. She went with her to an opera before and although not a fan, does not mind going to one. She shared science class with her, which was her second morning class. She would ask her then.

When her science class came around, she went inside, sat beside Nadine in their usual spot and immediately asked her.

"Morning Nadine, how are you today?"

"Morning Rhonda, doing well, how are you?"

"Just fine. Listen, my dad got me two tickets to attend an opera this coming weekend; Richard Wagner's _The Valkyrie_ and I wanted to know if you wanted to come with." Rhonda asked her closest friend.

"This weekend? I'm sorry Rhonda, but I'm not able to make it. I have various projects to finish and I will be busy running errands with my parents this weekend. I promised I would help them out." Nadine responded back.

"But then who am I going to go with? My parents are unable to come with me." She asked with an almost despaired tone.

"There isn't anyone else whom you can ask?" she asked Rhonda.

"Well there are, but the chances of them saying yes are very slim. They are Helga and Rodrigo." she responded back with little enthusiasm to her tone

"Well Rhonda, if you want someone to go with you, you are going to have to ask one of them. I can't make it, sorry." She said.

"No worries Nadine, thanks anyways." she said with a disappointed look to her face.

**During lunchtime...**

Rhonda went inside the big lunchroom and as she walked toward their usual sitting area, she saw Helga who had just sat down, reading something. She was alone. From the distance, Rhonda noticed that she was calmly reading, with a little smile to her face.

_Oh good, she is in a good mood today_. She thought.

Once she reached Helga, she enthusiastically greeted her.

"Helga darling, how are you today?"

Helga, not being amused that she was interrupted from her reading, did not bother to put down her book about Jane Austen, and just bluntly asked her, "what do you want, Princess?"

"Nothing, Helga. Why would you assume that I would want something?" She asked innocently.

Helga merely looked up and gave her a frown, a strong indication that she was losing her patience, which Rhonda took the hint.

"Ok ok fine. I have two tickets to attend an opera this coming weekend; Richard Wagner's _The Valkyrie_ and I wanted to know if...you wanted to come with?" she asked.

Helga merely looked at her, completely surprised that she would ever ask her to go with her to an opera, let alone with her. However, she merely smiled, as if she was mocking her and said,

"You must be pretty desperate to go with someone if you came to ask me."

Rhonda was a little surprised by her remark and a bit offended. Her inviting Helga to the opera was a genuine one. She knew that Helga had a strong interest in literature, which included mythology. Given that knowledge, she thought Helga might be interested in coming and although they were not close, she thought Helga would not mind going with her.

"I'm not desperate, Helga." She retorted back. "I genuinely asked you if you wanted to come because I know you have a strong interest in literature, stories and mythology and I thought you might be interested."

Helga was a bit surprised that she wanted her to come with to the opera. Despite how much Rhonda had changed over the years, Helga still retained her prejudiced views of her since they were kids; snobby, a gossiper, with a very shallow personality. It did interest her a bit to go to an opera. However, she had no intention in spending an entire evening with Rhonda Wellington Lloyd and end up getting entangled in useless gossip. Not to mention that she would have to wear a formal dress for the occasion. She picked up her book again and started reading.

"Thanks for the invitation, Princess, but I'm not interested." However, she then added, "why don't you ask Rodrigo to go with you? I'm sure he will be interested in going."

"Ugh, fine, thanks anyways." She said frustratingly. "Do you know where he is?"

"I think he is on the first floor, probably dancing with his dancing buddies." she responded back.

"Thanks."

Just as Rhonda was turning to go to the first level of the school, Rodrigo suddenly burst into the lunchroom, with his friend Javier, holding a boom box. The music was not very loud, but it caused most students in the lunchroom to turn towards their direction. Both teens danced their way into the lunchroom. The music they were listening to was a raggaeton song, _Con Calma_ by Daddy Yankee and Snow.

_Con Calma_

_Yo quiero ver como_

_ella lo manea_

_Mueve esa poom-poom, girl._

_Es una asesina,_

_cuando baila quiere_

_que to' el mundo la vea_

_I like your poom-poom girl._

_Tiene adrenalina, en medio 'e la pista,_

_Vente hazme lo que sea_

_I like your poom-poom girl (¡hey!)_

Rhonda and Helga looked on with a bit of annoyance on both their faces. Half of the other students in the lunchroom also looked on with some annoyance at having been interrupting from their conversation or games. However, the other half soon started gathering around the two dancing teens, with some starting to dance alongside them.

_Come with a nice young lady (what?)_

_Intelligent, yes she gentle and irie (¡fuego!)_

_Everywhere me go me never lef' her at all-ie (dile)_

_Yes-a Daddy Snow me are the roam dance man-a (Snow)_

_Roam between-a dancing' in-a in-a nation-a (prr-prr-prr)_

_You never know say daddy me Snow me are the boom shakata (__¿qué-qué-qué-qué?)  
Me never lay-a down flat in-a one cardboard box-a (¡sube, sube!)  
Yes-a Daddy Yankee me-a go reachin' out da top (what?)_

_Con calma, yo quiero ver como ella lo menea  
Mueve ese poom-poom, girl (girl)  
Es un asesina, cuando baila quiere que to' el mundo la vea  
I like your poom-poom, girl_

Helga simply looked at the crowd and the teens dancing, patiently waiting for the music to stop. She was now more irritated at having been interrupted from her reading for the second time in a row. She thought that it was rather ironic that she was friends with someone like Rodrigo. This is a guy that is very...active. He can be in a partying mood one day, relaxed in another day, or simply just wanting to go to the library and quietly read a good book for hours the next day. His taste in music also varied widely. He had no problem switching from heavy metal to Latin music, from hip-pop to even country music, depending on his mood. He was literally all over the place, yet simultaneously emphasized a strong sense of calmness and cohesion in his behaviour. When compared to her personality and even Arnold's, Rodrigo was a wild card. Yet despite his active lifestyle, it never permeated into their friendship, much to Helga's relieve. With anyone else, she would have found it overwhelming and would have lost it. With Rodrigo, whenever he hanged out with her, he always remained calm around her, comforting and caring. It was surreal to see him in rather different light, almost as if she didn't recognize him.

She then saw him dancing with a girl and just as with Carmen, she started experiencing the same feelings she had before; jealousy and anger. However, this time she repressed them. There was no way she was going to display them while Rhonda was right beside her.

Rhonda also looked on with a bit of disappointment in her eyes. Despite Helga's recommendation to ask Rodrigo, she seriously doubted if he would be interested in going to an opera with her. Yet, she thought she would still try. Despite his partying mood, she knew that he had a very cultured upbringing and they had even had discussion in the past about history, the arts and architecture from previous cultures. This also included discussing the fashion that was common within past cultures.

After a few songs, the dancing teens finally stopped their music. As the crowd started to disperse, the two Latinos said their goodbyes and Rodrigo proceeded to walk to where Helga and Rhonda were.

_About time! I can finally get back to my reading._ Helga thought happily.

"Afternoon ladies." Rodrigo greeted them.

"Hey." Helga responded back nonchalantly. _Show off_. She thought.

"Afternoon, Rodrigo. Nice dancing." Rhonda responded with a bit of sarcasm.

Rodrigo ignored her sarcasm and simply said, "Thanks." With a smile.

As Rodrigo sat down to eat, Rhonda sat down beside him, intending on asking him to come with her to the opera. However, she suddenly started getting nervous. She wasn't sure why.

_Why am I nervous? I'm not asking him on a date. Maybe I am just afraid that he might also say no. Y,a that must be it._ She thought to herself.

"So Rodrigo, do you have any plans for this coming weekend?" She asked.

"Other than planning on borrowing ten books from our school library to read, not really. Why? What's the plan?" He asked.

"Well, I was wondering if perhaps you might be interested in going to see an opera with me this weekend. They will be performing Richard Wagner's _The Valkyrie."_ She responded.

"Really? Richard Wagner's _Valkyrie?_" He asked as he looked up to view her with interest.

"Yes. You do know what that is, right?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You mean the German composer that emphasized in his work, a 'Dionysian' (emotional) attitude of German culture and the German warrior spirit that left a huge impression on opera music, theatre performance and philosophy, but was no doubt kidnapped by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi movement that espoused a racially superior nation whose task was to eradicate other 'inferior' races? Nope, never heard of it." He responded back sarcastically with a smile.

Just then, both Rhonda and Rodrigo heard a laughing snort coming from Helga's direction, prompting both teens to look at her. But when she did not put down her book, both teens looked away.

Rhonda should have known better to have questioned Rodrigo's intelligence. Yet, despite his smart remark, she was pleased that he knew about Wagner and his work.

"Great. So are you interested?" She asked, while trying not to sound nervous.

"Mademoiselle, Je serais heureux de vous accompagner. Mais, sous une condition, s'il vous plait." (Miss, I would be happy to accompany you. But on one condition please.) He said as he took bite from his food.

"Et cela quoi?" (And that is what?) She asked.

"Pendant notre soirée ensemble, vous devez parler avec moi seulement en Français" (During our evening together, you must speak with me only in French.) He said while continuing to smile.

"D'accord, avec plaisir" (OK, with pleasure) she confirmed with her own smile.

Despite knowing French, due to lack of practice, Rodrigo still had trouble speaking the language, and even more trouble when pronouncing the words properly. He had a tendency to often speaking in French with a Hispanic accent. Rhonda was fully aware of this, but was nevertheless happy that he wanted to practice his French with her.

"So, Let us meet up at my place at 6pm and we can head to the opera theatre from there." She said cheerfully. "Do you have a tux?"

"Do I need one?" he asked.

"Of course! It is the opera, Rodrigo. You must wear one." She replied back.

"Ya, I don't sorry." He confirmed.

"No worries, we'll just have to go out and buy you one." She said.

"Thanks but I'm not going to waste money on a suit that I'm only going to wear once. I have a black business suit, so I can just wear that."

"Fine. Now come, there is lot's to do before we go to the opera, so let's go to the library." She said as she grabbed Rodrigo's arm.

"Huh, to do what?" He asked.

"Rodrigo darling, you don't just go to the opera. It isn't a movie theatre. You have to arrive there with style and elegance. Most of Hillwood's cultured and important people will be there and you have to make an impression." She said as she started dragging him to the library.

_Wow, good thing I dodged that bullet._ Helga thought.

Just as they were getting up to leave, Helga said to them, "amusez-vous bien!" (Have fun!)

"Thanks Hel...wait what?" Rodrigo said shockingly, as he and Rhonda both turned around to face her.

"Helga, you speak French?!" Rhonda cried out with wide eyes.

Helga simply put her book down and faced them, while giving them a small evil smile.

"Un petit peu." (A little bit.) She said.

"Hehe,you know what? You're right Rhonda, I have a lot to learn, come on." Rodrigo said, while smiling nervously, as he grabbed Rhonda's arm and started pulling her away.

"Wait, why are you pulling me?" Rhonda asked him.

"When I first met you, she understood when I said 'mes malchances'." (My misfortunes.) He responded back with a bit of fear in his voice. "She knew that I was talking about her. Let's just go before she kills me."

As the two walked way, Helga simply continued to smile. Once they disappeared, she then started to read her book, finally having some peace and quiet.

_Worked like a charm, hehehehe._ She thought to herself amusingly.

**Saturday Evening...**

Rodrigo put on his business suit, combed his hair and prepared the finishing touches before heading off to Rhonda's mansion. As far as he was concerned, this was nothing more than two friends going to an opera, so he was not relatively nervous. If anything, he was excited. His only concern was having to meet some of Hillwood's highest and more powerful members. Although confident in his etiquette, he was no friend to those of the highest members of society. Plus, like Helga, he does not like having to impress people. You either like him or not, period.

Once he was ready, he grabbed his keys, wallet and quickly headed towards the bus stop close to his house. He had grabbed his coat, put it on as he was leaving his house, along with his scarf and hat. Due to the cold, he had to stop using his fedora hat.

Rhonda meanwhile, was almost done readying herself. She choice was a long, black dress. She had two long gloves with the exact colour, along with two crystal earrings. Unlike Rodrigo, she was still nervous about having to go with him.

_Why am I so nervous about this? I shouldn't be. I don't like him that way to be nervous and this isn't a date. Perhaps it is because he is the first guy I am going to the opera. I have only gone with my family or Nadine, no one else. Ugh, I need to put this aside. I'm going to the opera and I should be excited._ She thought.

She did not have to wait long for Rodrigo to arrive. After the Halloween party, Rhonda had to direct all the house staff to take down the decorations. She herself also took part in taking them down. After two days, she was exhausted and collapsed during that weekend. Ever since her parents sold their penthouse for the mansion, she had to make some adjustments. She was not thrilled that she had to live in this mansion. She loved her penthouse and was distraught when her parents informed her that they will be moving. Nevertheless, she made the best of it and got her parents' permission to hold more parties at her house than usual.

As Rodrigo walked from the street onto the door, he took his time to fully glimpse the mansion and its well maintained garden. By now, all the flowers had died, yet the staffs took great care to shelter the trees and clean up any dead leaves. He wondered why Rhonda, despite her wealth and her high class attitude, never associated with members of her own class. Why did she continue to go to a public high school and meddle with kids much lower in class and etiquette than her?

_Hmm. Perhaps after the opera, if there is time, we can hang out and I ask her._ He thought.

Once he approached the door, he rang the doorbell. A staff personnel opened the door.

"Can I help you?" The personnel asked.

"Good evening, I am Rodrigo Castile. I am here to escort Ms. Rhonda Wellington-Lloyd to the opera tonight." Rodrigo responded back.

"Ah yes. Please come in. Ms. Wellington-Lloyd will be right down." The personnel confirmed.

Rodrigo entered the house and said, "Thank you Sir." He looked around and was amazed at how elegant it was without the Halloween decorations.

After a few minutes, Rhonda came down.

"Oh Rodrigo, vous êtes ici." (Oh Rodrigo, you are here) she said to him.

"Oui Mademoiselle. Wow Rhonda, vous êtes si magnifique ce soir." (Yes Miss. Wow Rhonda, you are so beautiful this evening.) He said.

"Merci Rodrigo" (Thank you Rodrigo).

Rodrigo had one hand behind his back the whole time. He then presented to Rhonda, a beautiful red rose.

"Pour vous" (For you.) he said with a smile.

"Oh Rodrigo, c'est jolie, merci!" (Oh Rodrigo, it's pretty, thank you!) she said, trying not to blush.

"Puis, on y va?" (Well, shall we go?) He asked her.

"Oui, allons-y." (Yes, let's go) she confirmed.

The limousine was already at the entrance, waiting to take the couple to the opera. They hopped inside and away they went.

As they were driving, Rodrigo noticed that Rhonda looked nervous. He couldn't understand what she has to be nervous about, especially since she was the one who invited him.

"Rhonda, ça va bien? Vous semblez un peu nerveux." (Rhonda, are you ok? You look a bit nervous.) he asked.

"Hm? Oh ne sois pas ridicule Rodrigo. Je n'ai rien pour sentir nerveux." (Hm? Oh don't be ridiculous Rodrigo. I have nothing to feel nervous about.) she said with a nervous smile.

"Rhonda, c'est moi. Vous pouvez parler de tout avec moi." (Rhonda, it is me. You can talk to me about anything.) he said.

"'D'accord. Voici la vérité; je me sens un peu nerveux, de venir à l'opéra avec vous. Mais, je ne sais pourquoi. Je suppose c'est parce que vous êtes le premier ami, et le premier homme, que voulais aller à l'opéra avec moi." (Ok. Here is the truth; I do feel bit nervous about going to the opera with you. But I don't know why. I guess it is because you are the first friend, and the first guy that wanted to come to the opera with me.) she confessed sheepishly.

"Et Nadine? Elle ne voulait jamais aller avec vous?" (And Nadine? She never wanted to go with you?) he asked.

" Je suppose un petit peu. Or, c'était plus parce que je lui avais demandé a venir" (I guess a little bit. Yet, it was more because I had asked her to come.) She responded back.

Rodrigo was a bit taken aback from Rhonda's nervousness. Like Helga, she had always seemed so secure, so confident in herself. And yet, here she was, showing her vulnerability about attending an opera with him. He didn't think that she liked 'liked' him, but he nevertheless attempted to calm her down.

"Hey Rhonda, nous sommes amis. Il n'y a rien d'être nerveux. Nous sommes, juste, deux amis allons à un soirée agréable. Nous l'avons fait beaucoup de fois avec nos amis. Ce n'est pas une exception. (Hey Rhonda, we're friends. There is nothing to be nervous about. We are just two friends going on a fun evening. We have done this many times with our friends. This is no exception.) He said with a smile.

"Vous avez raison, merci Rodrigo." (You're right, thanks Rodrigo.) She said back with her own smile.

"Non, merci pour m'avoir invité à aller avec vous. Je n'ai jamais fréquenté l'opéra et je suis très enthousiasmé d'y aller, spécialement avec une personne tante cultivé comme vous." (No, thank you for inviting me to go with you. I've never attended an opera before and I am excited to go, especially with someone as refined as you.) He continued.

"Rodrigo, vous ne m'aidez pas" (Rodrigo, you are not helping me) she said with a smile.

"Désolé." (Sorry) he said while laughing.

After talking a bit more, Rodrigo was able to get Rhonda to relax and just enjoy the evening. After a short while, they finally arrived at the Hillwood Opera theatre. The limousine took them right at the entrance. Rodrigo got out first, then as a matter of courtesy, he extended his hand to allow Rhonda to get out as well. Once out, she then wrapped her arm around his and both started to walk to the entrance.

The weather was very cold, with a big breeze. Both teens were lucky to have taken the limousine, as well have their coats. They quickly made their inside, and then got their coats checked. They arrived a bit earlier so Rhonda decided to introduce Rodrigo with some of people that she knows. Out of politeness, they agreed to speak in English when they arrived at the opera.

As both teens walked around, Rodrigo noticed that some people were starting at them.

"Question, why are some people staring at us?" He asked Rhonda.

"I'm not sure. I guess perhaps, it is unusual to see two teenagers alone attending an opera together. Usually, the teen would be accompanied by their parents." She said.

Rodrigo was intrigued, if not delighted by that prospect. Despite not liking to impress people, he likes to show just how different he is with others by doing things completely unexpected. This was one of them. This is how he likes to make an impression; by being different.

The Opera theatre was huge. Its outside architecture was made of stone. It had eight pillars with a big dome, which resembles a combination between the ancient Greek Acropolis in Athens, and the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. Its doors were twice the height of Rodrigo and it was made of wood. The whole building looked ancient, but classy. Inside the opera, the floors were made of polished limestone, with more pillars supporting the structure. Great chandeliers were hoisted up at the ceiling, illuminating the rooms with a bit of golden lights. All in all, Rodrigo was impressed and in awe.

Just then, Rhonda saw the mayor of Hillwood, Mayor Dixie. She walked toward her to greet her and to introduce Rodrigo.

"Mayor Dixie delighted to see you this evening!" Rhonda politely exclaimed.

"Rhonda, pleasure to see you again." Said the mayor as she hugged Rhonda. She then saw Rodrigo standing beside Rhonda. "And who is this?" She asked with a smile.

"This is Rodrigo Castile. He is a friend and a classmate whom I invited with me this evening." She responded back.

"Good evening Mayor Dixie, it is a pleasure to meet you." He said as he extended his hand. Mayor Dixie shook his hand.

"Likewise, Rodrigo. I'm so happy to see the new generation taking an interest in opera music. Is this your first time?

"Yes Ma'am, it is. I was excited when Rhonda invited me and I can't wait to hear Richard Wagner's _The Valkyrie_ music drama."

"You shan't be disappointed Rodrigo." She said.

All three people continued to converse with each other. Mayor Dixie was impressed with Rodrigo's eloquence and mannerism. He was very respectful. Mayor Dixie then introduced the two teens to Grant Hindenburg, a major real estate tycoon who holds major apartment complexes in Hillwood and in other cities. Like Mayor Dixie, Grant was also impressed with Rodrigo's etiquette. As Rhonda and Grant complimented the mayor for her many achievement while in office, the conversation then took unexpected direction.

"Thank you, but unfortunately not all of my decisions were correct. One of my most embarrassing ones was to have made a deal with Future Tech Industries and its CEO, Alphonse Perrier du von Scheck. If it wasn't for Rhonda's friends, Arnold, Gerald and Helga to have exposed Scheck's illegal attempt in tearing down their neighborhood simply for personal vendetta, a lot of people who have been negatively affected. It was a decision that thankfully, I was able to reverse." She said.

"I concur. My father had invested in some of Future Tech Industries stocks. Once that company's shady dealings were exposed, my father quickly withdrew any fundings and support." Said Rhonda.

"Oh I seem to remember that you helped your friends organize a protest rally during those crucial thirty days." Grant pointed out.

"Well, yes I did help organize that famous blockapolooza party and other events in the neighbourhood. Unfortunately I became discouraged once those attempts failed and like everyone else, I gave in to the inevitable. If it wasn't for Arnold's refusal to give in, that neighbourhood would have been torn down." She said with a sad tone.

Rodrigo notice the sad tone in Rhonda's voice. He was not sure why she seemed sad about it, but quickly attempted to change the subject.

"Well, good thing that Scheck is now in prison and the neighbourhood is still here as a historical site. Pardon me, but I believe it is almost time for the performance to start."

"Yes, you're right Rodrigo. We better find our seats. It was a pleasure meeting you. Have a good evening." Said Mayor Dixie.

"Likewise Rodrigo. I can see that your parents raised you to be a fine young man." Said Grant as he shook his hand.

"Thank you both. It was pleasure meeting everyone. Have a good evening."

Once Dixie and Grant left, Rhonda and Rodrigo made their way into the theatre to find their seats. Rhonda's father had gotten tickets for them to sit at a private balcony, close to the stage. Once they found it, both sat down and waited for the show to start. Rhonda was relatively quiet throughout this time. Rodrigo had wanted to ask her why, but he knew that the performance was going to start any minute and there was no time for them to talk.

"C'est très bien, Rhonda. Tous est si élégant! Je ne sais pas porquoi ne personne voulais à venir ici. C'est magnifique!" (This is very nice Rhonda. Everything is so elegant! I don't know why no one else wanted to come here. It is magnificent!") He said.

"Puis, vous venez. En plus, Je savais que vous auriez l'apprécié" (Well, you came. Besides, I knew that you would have appreciated it.) She said.

"Oui, Je l'aprécie beaucoup. Merci beaucoup Rhonda." (Yes, I appreciate it a lot. Thank you so much Rhonda) he said.

Rhonda felt satisfied that she had at least one friend who truly appreciated going to the opera. Perhaps she should invite him more often.

Just then, the lights went out and the curtains started going up, signaling the start of the performance.

**Three and half hours later…**

Once the performance ended, the lights came up and both teens proceeded to leave their private balcony. As they made their way down toward the lobby, Rodrigo was surprised that throughout this entire time, Rhonda made no attempts at taking any selfies, as she usually does at school. After grabbing their coats, they went outside and waited for their limousine to arrive.

Rodrigo looked at his phone and realized that it was only 10:30pm, still a bit early. He then thought of an idea.

"Hey, c'est encore tôt. Avez-vous faim?" (Hey, it's still early, are you hungry?)

"Oui, affamé. Aucune idée où nous pouvons y aller?" (Yes, famished. Any idea on where we can go?" She responded.

"À propos le même petit restaurant de burger que nous allons toujours?" (What about the burger restaurant that we always go to?) He offered.

"D'accord." (OK.) She confirmed.

Once their limousine arrived, Rhonda instructed the driver to head to the burger joint within their neighourhood. Once they got on and started driving, Rodrigo then decided to ask her.

"Rhonda, you have been quiet since we talked to Grant and Mayor Dixie. Is everything ok?"

Rhonda took her time to respond. She didn't want to talk about it but at the same time, it was affecting her evening and she did not want to ruin it.

"Ya, everything is ok. It is just what Mayor Dixie said when she mentioned Arnold, Gerald and Helga for saving the neighbourhood." She said.

"You're not happy that the neighbourhood was saved?" he asked.

"No, no, I am. It's just that...I felt...excluded from it." She said. When Rodrigo gave a confused face, she then told him what was really bothering her.

"Ok, when we were trying to create awareness, we hosted various events. One of them was the blockapolooza party. Because our permit went 'missing', the police came and interrupted it and broke up the crowd. Even Arnold's grandmother was arrested. After that, I became very discouraged. I still wanted to continue the struggle but when I saw that everyone else was backing out, leaving Arnold alone, I just gave in as well. I never thought that a nine year old kid could make a difference."

"I was very sad at the prospect at having to move to another school and potentially lose all of my friends. When I arrived home, I remembered that my father owned some of FTI's stock and I tried to convince him to sell them. He refused obviously and it wasn't until FTI's illegal dealings were exposed by our friends that he finally sold them before their price collapsed. Needless to say, I did not do anything to save the neighbourhood. That credit goes to the trio, but that is not what is bothering me." She continued.

"When I found out that Arnold, Gerald and Helga were the once that exposed FTI's as a shady corporations and saved the neighbourhood, one the one hand, I was happy that the area was saved, but on the other hand, I was furious for not being included in it. I never understood why Arnold did not also come to see me to ask for my help. I would have given it to him. I was not concerned for the fame; I just wanted to help because I cared about our neighbourhood too." She said.

"Did you ever ask Arnold why he never asked you?" Rodrigo asked her.

"No. There was no point. It was already done and I kind of already know the answer anyways." She said.

"Which is...?"

"Isn't it obvious? I don't particularly act like a deep, caring person. People still think that I am shallow, snobby, a serious gossiper and a fashionista. This is still true, but I am a lot more than that. I speak four languages; I can combine various colours to make something beautiful. I am passionate about preserving ancient monuments, architecture and the world's cultural heritages sites. I consider myself highly cultured. I don't think Arnold was able to see past my snobby and uncaring traits." She said.

"But I don't blame him. He was so preoccupied with saving the neighbourhood that he didn't have the time to think about this. Gerald helped him and I know that Helga only helped them through the shadows, posing as Deep Voice. Arnold only accidently found out when he caught her on top of the FTI building and we know that she did out of love for him." She continued.

"It's just, it would have been nice if he had asked me. I wanted to still help, but when I saw that everyone was backing out and he was alone, I did not want to get his hopes up. I knew he was devastated. I thought that he just needed time to eventually give in to the inevitable. Even Gerald was telling him to face it, so what hope did I have in convincing him? That was my error. Had I said something, it would have encouraged him and no doubt he would have asked me to help him."

"It's no big deal Rodrigo. It was just bothering me, but it is not something serious." She said with a smile.

Rodrigo was not convinced that this was not a big deal. He had seen this type of behavior before, this desire to seen in a different light; in Helga. Plus something that is not a big deal would not be bothering someone after all these years.

_She liked him back then._ He thought.

Shortly after, they arrived at the burger joint. They quickly got out, went inside, order their food and sat down to eat. Rodrigo then decided to confirm his suspicion.

"Hey Rhonda, can I ask you a question?" He asked.

"Sure."

"Did you have crush on Arnold?" he asked.

The second he asked that, Rhonda was chewing on her burger, which caused her to choke. She was barely able to swallow her food and drink some water. After some more coughing, she finally said, "What makes you say that?" with a nervous smile.

"It's pretty obvious." He confirmed.

She sighed and relented.

"Yes, I had a bit of a crush on Arnold back then. I didn't love him, it was just a crush."

"You never tried to pursue him?"

"I thought about it a few times, but I honestly didn't think it would have worked out. I don't think I'm his type and despite his good traits, I don't think he was my type either. There were a lot of buts that I eventually decided against it."

"That was also why I was furious at him; because I kind of liked him but he never asked for my help; I was just jealous. Out of all our friends, he was the one whom I highly respected and really liked as a person. I knew I can always count on him to help me. I guess I just wanted to return the favour."

"What did you think when you found out when Arnold and Helga got together?"

"Quite surprisingly, I wasn't jealous when I found out. But I was in shock that Helga had always liked him. I wasn't even suspicious when Helga, Phoebe and Gerald asked everyone to help organize this video of Arnold and how much he helped everyone, in order to win the prize trip to San Lorenzo. When Gerald first told me, I assumed that this was his idea. But when he confirmed that it was not only Helga's idea, but even the videos that she had were hers, I was in complete shock. After the way she bullied and humiliated him, I never would have expected her to want to help him. Plus because she always demonstrated this tough, aggressive and even sadistic behaviour, I got used to seeing Helga like this, despite what Arnold tells us. Because we were busy organizing the video and preparing for the trip, I never got the time to ask Arnold about what he thought about Helga doing all of this for him."

"Throughout the entire trip, even when we got kidnapped by Lasombra, I was thinking about how this was possible. How could Helga have feelings for him, after what she did to him? At one point, I got furious at her and I was about to confront her when Phoebe approached us and informed us of a plan to call for help. Naturally, during all this time, and getting away from the guards and trying not to get killed, I never confronted her." She continued.

"However, as we were heading home, I realized why Helga acted the way she did, even if her actions against Arnold were inexcusable. It is no secret around the school that Helga has family issues. What exactly they are, we don't know. We just don't confront her about it because we know she will violently attack anyone who attempts to inquire on it. Whatever she goes through at home, it has to be serious because why else would she try so hard to hide her feelings for Arnold, up to the point of bullying him? She must have been really scared to possibly be rejected by Arnold if she ever confronted him about her feelings. However, I was still not convinced that Helga should be easily forgiven as Arnold had done. But one day, when I saw them together after school, I saw just how happy she was; she was smiling, and she never smiles. I also saw how happy Arnold was as they walked home together. It was a perfect, blissful, union. I knew right then that they were meant for each other. They were just a perfect match. Plus we noticed that since she got together with Arnold, her tough exterior lessened considerably, so much so that it was not so bad hanging out with her. So in the end I decided not to say anything and just accept it."

"Sorry if I keep on babbling. It was just something that had to get off of my shoulders." She said to Rodrigo with a bit of laughter.

"You don't have to sorry. I like to listen. How did you feel when Arnold left?"

"I took it hard. All of us did, especially Helga and Gerald. I tried putting up a strong face during those last few months. Sometime before he left, he hanged out with each of us privately to just talk and enjoy each other's company one last time. When he was hanging out with me, it was very hard to talk. I had to use very strength to not cry. Arnold like always, tried to lighten the mood and be optimistic; it worked. We enjoyed that day. We went for a walk, talked about old times; we even went to the arcade to play. On his last day, he was having a goodbye party, I cried. I had to go to the bathroom so no one could see me. The entire mood was already somber and I did not want to make it worse. Helga was not present at the party, and I wasn't surprised. I know she took his departure very hard and she couldn't stand saying goodbye to him."

"After he left, which I'm sure Gerald already told you, we wouldn't see each other. Gerald had to pull everyone together to get us to move on. We all tried to contact Helga to get her to come out, but she never answered her calls. We even thought about going to her house, but Phoebe convinced us from doing that."

"Did you guys try other ways to help her?" he asked.

"It was very hard to do that with Helga. She not only shut herself out from us, but whenever she did eventually appear, she was either very quiet, or in a foul mood and would bark at us. It is discouraging to talk to someone who does not seem willing to want to talk to you. I tried to talk to her a few times but to no avail. In the end, we just left her alone. I know she was really hurting, but I think she was acting selfish." She said with her arms crossed.

"How so?"

"Firstly, she made us worry about her."

That statement caused Rodrigo to raise an eyebrow, which Rhonda notice.

"Yes, Rodrigo, believe it or not, we, including myself, were worried about Helga G. Pataki. We had no idea how she was doing. If it wasn't for Phoebe, we would not know if she was still alive. So she made us worry despite that the fact that we were also going through the same loss, even if the pain was less than hers. Plus, not once did she ever ask us how we were doing, how we felt when Arnold left. We were all of his friends, Rodrigo. And despite how Helga behaves, we still consider her as a friend. We have known her since she was three, but she acts as if she wants nothing to do with us." She said with a raised and hurtful voice.

"Personally, I kind of envy your friendship with Helga." She added quickly.

That took Rodrigo by surprise.

"Why?"

"Like, I just feel that Gerald and I tried everything to include her, to get to know her and it all amounted to nothing. I don't understand what I have to do to get her to be on her good side. Why would she open up to you and Phoebe but not to us? With Arnold, we know why. You made it look so easy to be friends with her."

"Believe me, it wasn't easy. There were times when I thought the cost outweighed the benefits and at one point, I almost terminated our friendship." He said.

"Are you referring when the gossip circulated about you two dating?" she asked.

"Yes. I know you guys tried to warn me, and I severely underestimated how badly she would take it. I had assumed she would at least confront me about it instead of outright accusing me, much less in front of everyone."

"And yet, you two still remained friends." she pointed out.

"I guess. After what she did for me by taking the blame and getting expelled, how could I not still be friends with her? She took responsibility for her mistake." He said.

"I honestly don't feel she would ever do something like that for me or Gerald. There is no sense of trust between us." She pointed out.

"How come? Did you guys not like each other when you were kids?"

"Well no, not particularly. We never really fought, but we mostly just stayed out of each other's way. We did do things together as a group and I normally had no problem inviting her to my parties, but other than that, we never really hanged out together. Until I found out what she did for Arnold, I never would have expected her to have such a big heart. I'm ashamed to admit it, but it was shocking to me. It was seeing Helga at a completely different setting. But I was glad that she showed it. It allowed us to see that she had a big heart."

"You guys never really talked?" he asked.

"Pfft, no. We had very little in common. Even now, our only common interest is literature. Back then, whatever we did say to each other were usually smart remarks or insults. I know that I and others may have said some hurtful things to her when we were kids, but it's not like she didn't say anything hurtful to us. Come on, she threatened to beat us up on many occasions! We were kids back then! It's what we do. She can't still possibly be angry about that!" She exclaimed.

Rodrigo was not going to divulge any detailed information about what Helga had told him in regards to her not trusting Rhonda or anyone else, but he felt he needed to say something to prove to Rhonda that such remarks and insults can still be felt, even years later.

"Unfortunately Rhonda, whatever you guys said to her can still influence how she feels and behaves towards you. They were not just hurtful, but it went down deep. She felt that you could not be trusted. I should know because people have said hurtful things to me that are still reminiscent on how I perceive those same people; in a distrustful and negative light. Some people are able to move on and forgive while others don't." He said.

Rhonda didn't say anything. She merely reflected to all the times she said anything hurtful or insulting towards Helga. She then realized that perhaps Helga took it to heart because it wasn't just Rhonda that said these things to her, it also everyone else in their class. Everyone thought of Helga in the same way; an angry, highly aggressive and heartless person.

"Furthermore, there is a benefit and a cost to everything. You cannot be a gossiper and expect people to trust you with their secrets or sensitive information. If you want to retain that status of knowing everybody's business, the cost is that some people, like Helga, will never come forward to tell you something sensitive about themselves."

Rhonda still said nothing but acknowledged the wisdom.

"Despite you guys not liking each other when you were kids, you still tried to be her friend, especially after Arnold and Helga got together. Why?" He asked

"Just because I did not like her does not mean that I did not respect or admire her strength." She retorted back, feeling almost offended by his question.

"I said earlier that I usually invited her to my many parties or events at my place, but there was one event that I intentionally did not invite her."

"What was that event?"

"During fourth grade, I held a girls' slumber party. I invited all the girls in our class, except Helga. Because she was always this tomboy of a girl, I didn't think she would be interesting in attending a slumber party where we were going to do our nails, play dress up and do our makeup. That, and at that time, I didn't think she was 'girlish' enough." She explained.

"However, she unexpectedly arrived at my place, completely dressed up with makeup and wearing feminine clothing. We were all surprised but we allowed her to attend. But when we were putting on an avocado cream on our faces, she flipped out. I remember the exact words that she said to us. She asked us why we were bothering on putting on a cream for our 'wrinkles'; we were only nine years old, we did not have to worry about that. Nor did we have to worry about wearing feminine clothing or trying to so hard to be beautiful at a time when we are only kids. Sheena and I attempted to explain to her that this what girls do and we asked her, 'what else is there for us to do?' Obviously, Helga wasn't buying it and simply told us that we should do what other kids do, not what adults do because we are not adults, we are kids. Then, our party was interrupted by a noise coming from outside. When we checked the window, we saw all the boys spying on us. We scared each other and the boys attempted to run away, but we chased after them and caught Harold. Helga got an idea and we took Harold inside and gave him a makeup." She explained while laughing, remembering the fun times.

"After that event, I gained a lot of respect for Helga. She was right; we shouldn't have to worry too much about our appearances and should just focus on having fun as kids. Plus, despite the social pressure, Helga refused to give up who she is in order to fit in. Either we were going to accept her as she is or none at all. That takes a lot of guts, especially for a girl. Despite her attitude and gross etiquette, you have to admire that. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same thing for me" She said.

Rodrigo just sat quietly, listening attentively at how Rhonda described her admiration for Helga's strong character. Whereas other girls would have collapsed under peer pressure, Helga refused to give in. She almost did, but she stood strong...and alone. Rodrigo knew full well what it is like to stand up for your convictions and be utterly alone. A lot of people will admire you for it, but will also hate you for being different. It comes with the package. You cannot accept its benefits while also accepting its costs.

Then Rodrigo wanted to ask Rhonda something.

"Were things better when Arnold was around?" He asked.

"To some extent, yes. Helga was less angry and more inclusive during that time. She slowly started opening up to us, at least to some people. With Gerald and Arnold, things were more exciting. We had a lot of adventures together, we hanged out a lot. Whenever anyone of us got into trouble, we had each other's backs. We felt that we were going to be friends and grow up together forever. When Arnold left, things took a nose dive. Helga isolated herself from us and when she re-emerged, she was just...angry all the time. For everyone else, it took a while to move on, just some months but we got through it. High school also changed us. We started pursing other areas of interest; the guys with football, I with fashion and cultural site preservation, Sheena and the environment, etc. I don't know, I guess it is just the nostalgia as to why I feel...distant." She said, while playing with a French fry.

It became apparent to Rodrigo that this Arnold guy was more of a big deal than he originally thought. Things have not been the same since he left. He left such a big void in people's lives that they have been having trouble filling it since then.

"Does Arnold know about what you guys went through?" he asked.

"I can't say about the others, but I tried not giving him details. I just provided him some vague information, like 'we miss you', or 'it's not the same without you', etc. I know this was hard for him too and I didn't want to make things worse for him. I know that he has been having a difficult time in finding friends. The constant moving was taking its toll on him. In his last letter, he said he eventually had to put his foot down and tell his parents that he can't keep doing this anymore. He wanted to have friends. I cannot imagine what he must have gone through, so I keep things quiet about what I went through. I'm pretty sure the others have done the same." She responded.

_So Arnold has very little idea on how much he has been missed, on how much of an influence he was to them. What if he knew about this? Would that have encouraged him to come back?_ He thought.

"What about you and Nadine?" He asked.

"Ya that didn't help. When we entered high school, we realized that our differences and areas of interest had become so vast that we were no longer able to keep up with this charade of being best friends. We were best friends when we were kids, but our differences slowly started drifting us apart. We found less and less topics to discuss, less incentive to go out, etc. When it became obvious, Nadine and I sat down and we talked about it. We both came to the same conclusion. Despite still being close friends; it was still hurtful that I had to lower her as my best friend. I still haven't really replaced her. That position is still vacant." She said sadly.

"I'm sorry to hear that Rhonda. I didn't realize how much all of this, especially Arnold's departure, affected you." He said.

"It's OK. It's part of growing up. I know that what I am going through pales in comparison with what Arnold, Gerald and Helga went through, so I should consider myself lucky really." She said with a smile.

_I can see why we compare Rodrigo with Arnold. He reminds us a lot of him. I guess him coming to our lives was just a way to fill this 'void'. It is not a coincidence that his guy was able to become friends with Helga. She must also see Arnold in him as well._ Rhonda thought.

By now it was also midnight and the two teens were yawning.

"Well, I guess we'd better head back. It's getting late." She said.

"Ya, I'm exhausted. Let's go." He said.

As the limousine approached Rodrigo's house, she said to Rodrigo,

"Thank you Rodrigo for coming out tonight; it meant a lot of me. And sorry for all the drama."

"Not a problem Rhonda, I was happy to have gone out with you tonight. And what we discussed was not drama; it's life. Not only did I enjoy the opera, but I also got a chance to get to know you more; it was very nice." He said with a smile.

Just as he was about to get out of the limo, he then added,

"Rhonda, if you ever feel that you want or need to talk to someone, or if you need help, you know you can always come to me right?"

"Je sais. Merci" (I know. Thank you) she said with a loving smile. "Rodrigo, peut-être, si vous voulez, on peut aller à l'opéra encore?" (Rodrigo, perhaps, if you want, we can go to the opera again?). She continued sheepishly.

"Oui, j'aimerais ça" (Ya, I would like that) he confirmed.

"Très bien. Bon nuit." (Very well. Good night)

"Bon nuit" (Good night) he responded back, as he kissed her hand.

Once he got inside his house, he quietly went to his room and began to undress. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and as he was about to put it down, he noticed that he had a text message from Helga.

**Helga: Enjoying the opera Latino boy? Hope you're not dying of boredom from Rhonda's gossips lol.**

The message was sent almost two hours ago. He never felt it vibrate.

**Rodrigo: Hey Helga, sorry for not responding back, I didn't feel you texting me. The Opera was great and I actually had fun with Rhonda. Despite her snobby and gossiping attitude, she can be a nice and an interesting person to talk to. **

He put his phone down, not expecting to get an answer this late. As soon as he undressed himself and put on his pajamas, his phone vibrated again.

**Helga: Typical Arnoldo response, Rodrigo. You always see the good in people.**

**Rodrigo: That's because it is always there for people to see it, even if they try to hide it. You just need to give them a chance. How come you're still up?**

**Helga: Just finishing writing my letter to Arnold, then going to catch some zzz. Good to hear that you had fun. She tends to show her good traits every now and then.**

**Rodrigo: I would ask you why guys are not friends then, but I already know the answer.**

**Helga: Well, there you go. You know me well Rodrigo. Hmm, perhaps I should stop divulging any more information about me.**

**Rodrigo: Too late for that. Besides, why would you do that? I like getting to know more about you; You're beautiful ;).**

**Helga: Quit flirting with me Latino boy, I have a boyfriend.**

**Rodrigo: oooohhh sorrryyy Lol.**

**Helga: You better be. **

**Rodrigo: lol. Anyways, it's late and I wanna sleep. I'm falling asleep while standing. I'll ttyl. Hope you finish your letter soon and tell your boyfriend that I said hi. Muah.**

**Helga: will do, night and did you just kiss me?**

**Rodrigo: ;) night**

**Helga: *vomit***

He wasn't sure why, but this was the first time that he made any flirtatious attempts at Helga. They were obviously friendly ones and he felt comfortable enough that she would not take offense to it, but why now?

Too tired to think any longer, he went to his bed and quickly fell asleep.

**Meanwhile at Rhonda's house...**

_I can honestly say that I had a great time with Rodrigo. I was so glad that I invited him to go to the opera with me. He is so refined and he is just an intelligent person. He impressed a few people I introduced him to and he certainly impressed me! It is actually such a wonderful feeling to meet someone who has the same interest as you. You have got to meet him whenever you get a chance to come and visit us, Arnold. You shan't be disappointed. He does need a few pointers on how to dress more proper, though. _

_There is one thing that I must confess, and I hope you will not take offence to it. Since you left things have been hard for us. It hasn't been the same. It took us a while, but we managed it through, yet it had never been the same. We still hang out and do things together but, at least for me, there is something missing, it felt a bit, empty? Rodrigo, whether he sees it or not, has been a big help in revitalizing our group and in feeling this hole. I wouldn't say he brought it back to life, but he brought this new spark, I guess. I'm not saying that he is replacing you; far from it. No one can ever replace you, my dear Arnold. All I am saying is that we seem to be bit more, together now since he came into our lives._

_I'm glad to hear that things are finally settling down for you. You must tell me what the nightlife is at your new city. What about its people? I do hope they have some of the brightest and most fashionably dressed intellectuals. Don't be surprised if you meet a few people who already know me, hahahaha. Have you met any new friends there yet? If so, I do so hope they at least have some classic standard on fashion and etiquette._

_Yours truly,_

_Rhonda Wellington Lloyd_

* * *

**That about wraps it up. Like Olga, I wanted to portray Rhonda at a different light and allow her to have her say. Normally in other stories, she would be portrayed as an antagonist to Helga. To some extent, I can see that, but I feel Rhonda can be just as easily misunderstood as Helga is.**

**As for the opera, I originally wanted to provide more philosophical details about **_**The Valkyrie**_** performance, but I feel this has been a really long chapter so I decided against it. If you guys do want more details about, let me know and I can update it.**


	14. Chapter 14 - Rodrigo vs Arnold

**Hi everyone! I know that some of you may not yet be convinced if Rodrigo should be compared to Arnold, or why the gang is even doing that. So in this chapter I want to provide more information about why everyone seems to think so. **

* * *

**During lunchtime…**

Rodrigo walked into the lunchtime and headed toward their usual sitting area. He found that by a stroke of luck, everyone was present, even Helga, who was reading. Once he arrived there, he greeted everyone, and then sat down to eat.

Gerald was waiting for him to arrive, as he needed to ask him something.

"Hey Rodrigo, got a question for ya. Would it be OK if I give my man Arnold your mailing address?"

"What for?" he asked curiously.

"Well apparently we have been talking a lot about you in our letters, that he asked me in his last letter if he can write you one, just to introduce himself and to say hi." He responded.

Although showing no reaction, Helga pretended to continue reading, while listening attentively, trying to find out why Arnold wanted to communicate with him.

"OK sure, you can give it to him. It would be nice to finally communicate with this guy." Rodrigo confirmed.

"Great, thanks. I'm sure you guys will get along well. He's a great guy." He said.

_So I've heard, many times._ He thought annoyingly. "Great" he said.

As the rest of gang started to converse among themselves and eat their lunch, Rodrigo was in deep thought about this Arnold guy. He had never met him. Actually, he does not know what he even looks like. He then thought of something.

_When was the last time they saw him?_ He thought. Curiously, he decided to ask Gerald.

"Gerald, when was the last time you guys saw Arnold?" He asked nonchalantly.

As soon as he asked that, everyone got quiet and stared at him. Even Helga ended up putting her book down to look at him. The gang continued to look at him and among themselves with sad facial expressions, causing Rodrigo to feel uncomfortable.

"Did I say something wrong? Why are you guys looking at me like this?" He asked.

After a few more seconds of silence, Gerald finally spoke.

"No, no man. You didn't say anything wrong. It's just that we haven't seen Arnold since he left." He said sadly.

Rodrigo was taken aback by this.

_Well no wonder these people miss him so. They haven't seen him in years._ He thought.

"Why not?" he asked.

"It has been difficult for him to visit. He tried a few times, but he had to cancel them, either because of school or trying to help his parents at their jobs or because they were moving again." Gerald explained.

"What exactly do his parents do?"

"They work for a major pharmaceutical company. Their task is to go to a certain area, locate as many plants and other specimens as possible, and then proceed to make medicinal remedies from them. This requires them to constantly travel from one place to another because often where they collect their specimens, the region or country doesn't have the facilities for them to experiment."

"Where is he right now?" Rodrigo asked.

"San Lorenzo" Helga interjected.

"Ya, where you are from Rodrigo." Said Gerald

Rodrigo simply stared at both of them with a confused look.

"Huh? I never said I was from San Lorenzo."

"You didn't?" Gerald asked him.

"No. All I said was that I came from where there is a refugee crisis. San Lorenzo is one of many Latin countries whose citizens are fleeing poverty, crime and unemployment." Rodrigo explained.

Before anyone got the chance to ask him his country of origin, Rodrigo quickly asked another question.

"How long has he been there?" He asked.

"Since September of this year." Sid confirmed. "Before that, he lived in San Antonio, Texas"

A thought then occurred to Rodrigo, about Helga.

_Is that why Helga learned Spanish? Was she planning on going to San Lorenzo to see him? I have to ask her about this._ He thought.

"Well, that explains why you guys write letters to each other. I was about to ask why he doesn't use email to communicate with you guys. And none of you guys have tried to visit him?" He asked them.

"Nah uh, for the same reasons that Gerald gave." Sid responded back.

Rodrigo was now able to understand them a bit better as to why they would always compare him to Arnold.

_This guy was such a huge influence in their lives that when he left and I arrived, I reminded them of him so much that I think that they started to project their emotions for Arnold onto me. As far as I see it, I am merely a substitute for him._ He thought.

That didn't make him feel any better about the comparison. Quite the contrary, he felt that they only became friends with him to remind them of Arnold, not because they actually like him.

"I can see why you guys like to compare me with Arnold. It seems to me, that you all miss him so much that I am merely a substitute for him." He said to them with a stern tone.

No one responded back to his statement, as they were not sure where he was going with this.

"Although personally, I still don't see how I remind you of him. Sure there are some similarities, but he and I are vastly different people." He continued.

Helga was especially attentive to this, as she knew that he was also talking about her. She really did not like where this was going, but she reframed from saying yet and allowed Rodrigo to explain himself.

"No, no man. You got it all wrong. We're not comparing you because we miss him. In a way, were doing it as a compliment. You and Arnold both have high moral standards and a big heart. Sure you express it in a different way than Arnold does, but your heart is in the right place." He explained.

"And to some extent, although we did not really put you in this position, your personality fits well in what Arnold's role was in our group. We know that you are not Arnold, but even you Rodrigo, must admit that you took on the many responsibilities and traits that Arnold did in our group." Rhonda said while giving him a bit of a scowling face.

Rodrigo looked at everyone. It became apparent to him that everyone got a bit offended by Rodrigo's remark.

"I'm sorry everyone. I did not mean to get you all upset. I just feel that you guys have compared me with him so many times, that it looked as if you only became friends with me because I reminded you all of him, not because you actually like me." He said.

Rodrigo allowed some time for everyone to absorb this because this has been bothering him for some time. Ever since Gerald first mentioned Arnold, they have repeatedly stated to him how much he reminds them of him, almost none stop, Helga included. Yet despite him explicitly showing his distaste for the comparison, they never stopped.

"But you really need to explain to me in more detail as to how I basically fit in his shoes." He quickly added.

"There you go typical Arnold apology, everyone." Eugene said with his usual bright smile.

"Huh?" Rodrigo asked.

"Haha, you apologized to us for potentially offending us, when it is us who should apologize to you Rodrigo, for not realizing how much this comparison was bothering you. You were more worried about our feelings than yours that you felt that you had to apologize. Arnold would have done the same thing." Eugene explained. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"I see. What else?" He asked.

"On that note, whenever you feel you crossed a line, you would instantly apologize for it and make up for the damage. Unlike other people, you have no problem acknowledging your mistakes. Arnold was the same way." Sheena added.

"That, and you are a good listener. Whenever we speak to you, you would put whatever it is that you were doing aside, and give us your full attention." Said Gerald.

"You're always helpful. You've helped me and Stinky a few times with our math homework whenever we asked you, no exception. You even stopped working on your homework to help us." Sid pointed out.

"You are wise person for your age. You have given us useful advice on whatever matter is troubling us." said Eugene.

"You are very mature. You know when to be funny and when to take things seriously. You also have an observant nature and tend to see people more deeply than what they would normally show to others. You are not a judgmental person." Said Phoebe.

"You look out for your friends and you go out of your way to put us before yourself." Said Lila.

"You're good at sports and you have a serious kicking ability. Arnold had a serious swinging ability, but the difference is only in degrees." Said Stinky.

"You're a great person to talk to. I like your jokes." Said Harold.

"Uh Harold, Arnold is not known for telling jokes." Sid pointed out to him

"Oh. Well, you're just a great person to hang out with. You are not boring." Harold re-stated himself.

"And you became good friends with Helga." Gerald pointed out with a smirk.

Rodrigo was not amused by this remark.

"That sounds a little harsh, Gerald." he head to him.

"Not really; it is Helga." He said.

Then everyone heard a loud bang. Helga intentionally dropped her book on the table, and when Gerald turned to face her, she gave him a serious scowl. Gerald, in response, just gave her a nervous smile, hoping she would not clobber him. He then reverted back to Rodrigo to quickly add,

"But seriously, only you, Phoebe and Arnold were able to get close to her. Regardless of the reasons why, that is still an achievement; you got her to open up to you."

"I guess. OK, ok, ok, so I have a lot of the same personality traits. But how often does Arnold lose his patience and gets confrontational? The way you guys described him, he is an angel. I lost my patience a few times with you guys and unlike Arnold, I don't have a problem in getting confrontational."

"That's true. But Arnold has lost his patience a few times too. Granted, it is a rare occurrence, but it does happen. And as for your confrontation, I'd like to compare that with Helga." Said Gerald.

Helga was again scowling at him and was on the verge of getting up when Gerald quickly continued to finish what he wanted to say.

"Now hold on, I didn't mean it in a bad way. I'm just saying that unlike Arnold, Rodrigo is passionate, like you are, Helga. Arnold is a rather calm guy, and you can be too Rodrigo, but you have days when your passion about a topic or something would show. Like what happened with the twelve graders, you were just passionate on protecting your friends, in standing up what you believe in. Arnold would have done the same thing, although in a less aggressive way." He explained.

Satisfied with his response, Helga then sat down and her scowl disappeared, much to the relief of Gerald.

Throughout the entire conversation, Helga said nothing. She just listened to the comparisons. The more they revealed some of their similar traits, the more nervous she became as she realized just how eerily similar they were. Unlike the rest of the gang, Helga did not compare Rodrigo to Arnold simply out of remembrance. She knew it went down deeper than that. She felt…drawn to Rodrigo. She wanted to talk to him; she wanted to hang out with him. Yet she felt no butterflies in her stomach. He did not make her act nervous around him. As a result, she did not feel she needed to act aggressive toward Rodrigo in order to hide something with the way she did with Arnold.

This whole thing was making her crazy. She wished she could just feel something decisively so at least she would now know what to do. But until she figures that out, she cannot do anything.

"So there you go. Sure you didn't save a neighborhood, but I wouldn't hold it past you." Gerald continued.

"I held an illegal protest at my previous school for the extreme shortage of books and funding there. I was almost arrested and expelled, but I managed get away with only a slap on my hand and I got the funding that we needed. Is that close enough?" Rodrigo asked with a cocky smile to his face.

"Ya, you are definitely Arnold material." Said Gerald with a smirk on his face.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute bucko." Helga immediately interjected with an irritated look on her face. "That's a little oxymoronic of you. You held a protest, knowing full well that it was going to get you into serious trouble and you had no problem with accepting the consequences? Yet, you raged at me bitterly when the Principal said he MAY suspend you after our scuffle?"

"You mean to tell me that I took the fall and got expelled for no reason?" She continued as she stood up and got closer to him.

"You know, whenever you get close to me, I don't know if you are going to punch me or kiss me." Rodrigo countered jokingly with a flirtatious smile.

Helga was completely taken aback by his remark and for a moment, stood frozen, not knowing what to say. She had no intention of hitting him, yet she was unsure or what else to do.

Even their friends were completely shocked at what Rodrigo just said to her. No one who had ever attempted to flirt with Helga lived to tell the tale. Only Arnold was able to get away with flirting with her. They all simultaneously thought,

_Did he... _thought Gerald_._

_...just flirt..._thought Phoebe.

..._with her?_ thought Sid.

_That is ever so...hot._ Lila thought mischievously.

However, Helga soon shook off her surprise and said,

"Pfft ya right, in your dreams Latino boy. Next time, my fist will find its way towards your jaw." while she sat back down, trying not to blush.

Although she knew he was joking around, she was still surprised that he would say something like that to her in front of everyone. She didn't want to admit it, but deep down, she kind of liked it.

Rodrigo knew that she was going to get upset when he revealed the protest event, which is why he made that remark; to get her off her balance. Then, with calmness yet firmness, he proceeded to explain to her,

"Seriously though, there is a difference between the protest and our scuffle, Helga. I made the choice to organize that protest and even though I was going to get into trouble, it was for a good cause. I wasn't doing it for my own personal desire to cause trouble; I was doing it for the benefit of a community. Plus I knew due to those reasons, there was a chance that the authorities would let me go. It was a risk, but a calculated risk. With our scuffle, it was entirely based on you being angry over a rumor that was not even true, yet you angrily accused me of starting it, without giving me the chance to even explain myself. What did you expect me to say to you when you just humiliated us in front of everyone? Of course I lost my temper with you on that day."

"I am willing to get into trouble if it benefits people, if it helps others. But I am not willing to get into trouble simply for other people's personal desire for revenge or because they cannot control themselves." he continued calmly.

Helga said nothing and merely crossed her arms in defeat, while having a frowning face.

"And it wasn't for no reason." Rodrigo continued. "By taking the blame and getting expelled, you owned up to your mistake. You helped me clear my name. You do care about people and like me and Arnold, you were willing to accept the consequence for your actions. And I did say I was sorry for what I said to you at detention."

This got everyone's attention. Although they knew what Helga did for Rodrigo, he never went into details about what he said to her during detention.

"What did you say to Helga during detention?" Sid asked curiously.

Rodrigo looked at Helga to see if she was going to tell them the story or tell them to mind their business. However, she merely looked away, while still frowning.

Taking this as his cue, Rodrigo reluctantly and shamefully replied,

"I...told her that the reason why Arnold left was...not because of his parents' jobs, but of wanting to get away from her because he could no longer stand her."

The rest of the gang remained silent, completely shocked. Despite knowing the real reason why Arnold left, they knew Helga enough to know that such a statement was a serious blow to the gut, if not her heart.

When the gang looked at Helga to see any reaction, she merely looked away again and closed her eyes, trying to hide the pain from that painful memory.

"Gosh Rod, that was a low blow for you to say that. What did she do or say to you after?" Stinky asked him.

"Nothing. She just took it." said Rodrigo sadly. "Once detention was over, she went straight to the Principal's office to take the blame, while I went home."

"Ya that was a serious blow Rodrigo. But I'm also surprised that you are still alive after what you said to her. I mean she nearly clobbered me years ago when I inquired on her family life." said Gerald.

Despite all of them knowing what a low blow that was, only three of them realized the full significance of Helga's behavior on that day: Phoebe, Gerald and Rhonda.

_Could she like 'like' him?_ They all thought simultaneously.

However, Gerald and Rhonda quickly dismissed the claim, but not Phoebe. She knew her best friend well enough to interpret Helga's behavior on that day. Gerald had a point; had it been anyone else, Helga would have viciously attacked him without remorse. Yet instead, she merely took it and even took the full blame. Helga would not have done that for just anyone, unless she really cared about them. Since Helga said yes to be Rodrigo's date for Rhonda's Halloween party, Phoebe had been doing some research on her friend's behavior. However, due to school and her extracurricular activities, she needed more time to prove her hypothesis.

Gerald was also pondering. Based on how Rodrigo was able to rationalize his way out of Helga's accusation just now, he recognized a difference with the way Rodrigo's treats her and how Arnold used to treat her, which was often a source of conflict between him and Gerald's.

"Well, I can definitely say that there is something that you do not share with Arnold." he said.

"Which is...?" Rodrigo asked.

"You don't patronize people." he responded back.

"Explain." said Rodrigo.

"I'm not going to use Helga as an example, just because I want to get home alive and well. But take the twelve graders again. After school ended, you said to me that they needed to pay for making the choice to stick to an outdated fantasy about human relations and for choosing to take their anger out on Eugene. I would imagine Arnold would try to reason it out, saying something along the lines of 'they are only ignorant and they do not know what they are doing'. He wasn't trying to justify what they did; like you, he would have stepped in to stop the fight. But he would try to explain to us why they did it. You on the other hand, don't attempt to rationalize it up to that point. Quite the contrary, you still claim that despite what they think or may have gone through in life, it is still their choice. They could have chosen to not beat up Eugene." he explained.

"You see, Arnold would always try to mind this middle ground between people, this area where everyone could agree on, which can sometimes be beneficial. You are more radical. Arnold's rationality on this sometimes got to the point where I felt he was just patronizing people. With you, you do give reasons why people behave a certain way, but you don't fully rationalize it out. You still think that people still have some freedom into making certain choices in their lives and because of that, you hold them responsible for their actions. Personally, I like that about you Rodrigo, you don't patronize people."

Rodrigo knew where Gerald was going with this. Gerald felt that they were on the same page with Helga's behavior and to some extent, he was right. However, where they differed was that while Gerald continued to have his prejudice against Helga and would eventually stop bothering in helping her, Rodrigo had no such prejudices and would not necessarily back down in helping Helga. Rather, Rodrigo gave her the freedom, the choice to be different, whereas Gerald gave Helga no such space. However, Rodrigo decided to be quiet about this.

Helga too knew where Gerald was going with this and she came to the same conclusion about the difference between how he and Rodrigo viewed her. Yet, she also decided not to say anything.

"Point taken." said Rodrigo.

"But I would like to add something to that." Rodrigo continued. "While I am not particularly agreeable with Arnold's idealized optimism, he does have a point if he would try to explain to us why they did what they did. They are ignorant about themselves, about what it is about seeing a gay person that makes them hostile. I know this because I was once like them. But unlike them, I was willing to find out about it. I had look deep into myself to find out the answer, which I eventually did. The Greek philosopher Socrates said that the unexamined life is not worth living in. Unless you are willing to examine human life and look deeply into this abyss, it is not worth living in it because you are just a mere pawn in this sociological game here. So Arnold is right if he would try to explain why people behave in this way and I am also aware of this."

"But then why were you willing to fight them if you knew that they were just being ignorant?" Phoebe asked him.

"Because being ignorant is not an excuse, especially in our time. If anything, it is very childish. It is still your responsibility to have at least some idea as to why you act this way. Not knowing is not justifiable to behave in a certain way, especially if your behavior affects other people. You can't know everything about yourself and there are things that you cannot simply change, I know that. But there are things that you can and homophobia is one of them. We can understand those twelve graders and even sympathize with them, but under no circumstances should they be allowed to get away with it. It is knowing when to be sympathetic and when to put your foot down and say 'enough' that is tricky and it takes skills to know when to apply which." Rodrigo explained.

Just then, the bell rang, signaling that lunch was now over.

"Well, we'd better get to class. Don't want to be late." said Gerald.

Everyone got their belongings and quickly went to their next class or lockers.

**After school...**

Once school was over, everyone got out and hopped onto the bus to go home. It quickly got full. The weather was now freezing and snow had already started to fall. No student was willing to walk in this weather.

The gang all sat next to each other, except for Helga. She sat further back from the group. As Rodrigo got on the bus, he noticed this and went to sit beside her.

Helga was leaning against the backseat with her eyes closed when Rodrigo sat beside her. She didn't bother to open her eyes; she knew who it was. Then Rodrigo asked her,

"¿Por eso aprendiste el Español?" (Is that why you learned Spanish?)

"What?" she asked him, while still not moving.

"¿La razón porque querías aprender el español, no era para que podías reunirte con Arnold en San Lorenzo?" (Is the reason why you learned Spanish, was it not so you can go to San Lorenzo to be with Arnold?) He asked again.

That caused her to sit up straight and look at him with wide eyes.

_¿Como c***** sabia el? (How in the f*** did he know?)_ She thought.

"Pfft, no sea ridículo, Latino boy. Jamás regresaría a ese maldito país. En tus sueños, Rodrigo"

(Pfft, don't be ridiculous Latino boy. I'd never return to that godforsaken country. In your dreams, Rodrigo.) She scoffed while crossing her arms.

"Yo solamente aprendí el castellano, si estamos hablando del mismo dialecto, porque quería. Me interesó." (I only learned Castilian, if we are talking about the same dialect, because I wanted to. It interested me.) She continued.

Rodrigo was undeterred. Her scoffing merely confirmed what he already knew.

"No te preocupes Helga, está bien. No es necesario de explicar si no quieres hablar del asunto. Cuando si te sientes listo para hablar, estaría aquí." (Don't worry Helga, it's OK. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. Whenever or if you feel you are ready to talk about it, I'll be here.) He said while looking at her with calm eyes and giving her a small smile.

While still pouting, Helga merely looked at away.

Then Rodrigo got up and went to sit with the rest of the group.

When Rodrigo sat back down with the group, Phoebe noticed Helga was sitting alone. Getting concerned, she excused herself, got up and went to sit with her best friend.

"Helga? Is everything ok?" She asked her.

"Ya, everything is ok Pheebs. Actually Pheebs, I wanted to ask you, are you free to meet up this Friday or weekend?" she asked.

"I think I am free this Friday evening. What did you want to do?" Phoebe asked.

"I need to talk to you about something." she said.

"OK, about what?" she tried to inquire.

"It's something important, something I should have said to you years ago. Can we meet at your place this Friday evening?" she asked.

"Sure Helga." she confirmed.

Phoebe felt a notch developing in her stomach. She suspected what Helga wanted to talk to her about and she was hoping it was not that. As far as she was concerned, she did NOT want to talk about it. She just wanted to forget it ever happened and move on.

**Later that evening…**

Helga was walking around in her room for almost 20 minutes, pondering if whether she should admit to Rodrigo what he had said on the bus. She really was not sure why she felt she needed to 'confess' to him about this, yet she had the urge to do so.

_Crimeny, he is not some priest that I need to go to confess! There was no sin to me wanting to go San Lorenzo. So what if he knows? There's no need to discuss this further. And Yet, I cannot push this urge aside. Maybe it's because I can trust him with this._ She thought. _But I think it is also because I have been bottling this inside me for so long, that I feel I 'need' to talk to him about this. It is not something shameful, but it is not a happy story._

Helga then recollected on the occasion when she blurted out her love for Arnold to Dr. Bliss during her first therapy session with her. It felt good to finally release it. There were also other occasions with Dr. Bliss and with Arnold. Whenever something was bothering her, talking about it someone helped a lot.

She relented. He already figured it out, so there was no point in keeping it a secret. She looked out the window to see if perhaps they can talk in person. But the weather had turned ugly. It was snowing and very windy.

"Ya, no way I'm leaving my room to go out there. I'm not desperate." She said to herself.

She grabbed her phone and started texting Rodrigo.

Rodrigo was quietly in his room doing his homework when his cell vibrated. He picked it up and saw that Helga just messaged him. He clicked on the message and read what she wrote to him.

**Helga: You were right, about what you said on the bus. **

**Rodrigo: Ya? What happened?**

Helga started typing but then realized that this was a long story, too long to type it.

"Screw it, I'll just call him." She said.

Rodrigo's phone rang. He picked it up and said, "Hey"

"Hey, I was not going to text you because it is a long story."

"No worries. So what happened?" he asked again.

Helga got nervous about telling her story. She started grinding her teeth and was nervously playing with her hair. Rodrigo remained calm and merely waited for her to be comfortable enough to start.

Finally, she took a deep breath and began.

"Ok, last year, at the beginning of April, we all got a letter from Arnold saying that he will be leaving San Antonio to go to the capital city of San Lorenzo, also called San Lorenzo. He said that his parents needed to go back to collect further plants and specimens and they were going stay there for a good amount of time; months if not years. The capital had the required facilities to conduct their experiments so there was no need to go back. So Arnold had to go with them. They were going to wait until Arnold finished school and move during the summer."

"At the same time, I got word that my sister Olga was going to be coming back to live with us. She was scheduled to arrive within a few weeks. Obviously I was upset at this because whatever little attention I was getting at home, would now all be diverted to Olga. To make matters worse, by that time I was out of my depression, but I was not happy. I still felt empty and I was struggling to cope with it."

"Later in that same month, Gerald and I got into another argument. I'm not going to say what it was about, but he ended up saying to me that I 'did not deserve to be with Arnold.' Don't blame him for saying that, I kind of deserve it. But that set me off to the tipping point. I was no longer able stand my situation."

Helga paused for a second and took in a big gulp of air.

"So I made the decision to run away from Hillwood and go to San Lorenzo to be with Arnold. I thought that being with him was better than staying here, even if I despised having to live in some tropical jungle."

When Rodrigo said nothing, she continued.

"I did not tell anyone about my plans, not even Arnold. With Phoebe, I was initially not going to tell her anything. So during that time, I learned Spanish in order to navigate my way in that country and to not be such a burden to Arnold and his parents. I also found out the address of where Arnold was going to stay and when he was going to arrive. My plan was to go there a few days after Arnold and his parents had arrived and just show up. Obviously they will ask why I am there, so I had no reservations to tell them the truth: I was miserable back home and I missed that football head."

"A few days before I was about to leave, I decided to call Phoebe and tell her about it and also to say goodbye. She asked for the time and date of when I was going, which I gave her. She then asked me if she could come with me to the airport, just to say goodbye. I was a bit surprised by this, as I expected her to convince me to not leave, but I figured she just wanted me to be happy."

"On the day when I was about to leave, I met up with Phoebe and went to the airport. As we were waiting in line to buy my one-way ticket, Phoebe then attempted to convince me to stay."

"What did she say to you to make you stay?" Rodrigo asked.

**Months earlier, at the airport…**

_Announcer: Attention all passengers. The XY-130 flight to San Diego has been delayed. We apologize for any inconvenience…_

Helga and Phoebe waited patiently before a staff personnel was ready to help them. They had ten other people in front of them.

Helga only brought with her one big luggage, which contained her summer and sports clothes. She didn't need any of her winter clothes. She made sure she brought her notebook, pencils, her locket of Arnold and her pink bow.

"Well Pheebs, thanks for coming. I'll miss ya." Helga said to her with a smile.

Initially Phoebe said nothing. She just looked her best friend with a sad look. She was sad because she was able to reveal to Helga her true intentions as to why she wanted to go with her to the airport and she knew it was going to hurt her.

"Helga, I think you should stay. I think going to San Lorenzo is a bad idea." Phoebe finally spoke.

"I made up my mind Pheebs. I'm going to San Lorenzo where I know I can at least be somewhat happy." She said with a firm voice.

"That's just it, Helga. I don't think you will be happy there. I mean I know you will be happy to be with Arnold, but you will be miserable living there. We both know the lifestyle that he is currently living is not for you."

"We'll find some way to deal with it, Pheebs. I can change too you know. Give me some credit, won't ya?" She countered back.

Phoebe knew that Helga was now getting defensive, so she proceeded to continue with caution.

"Helga, how do you think you just showing up unexpectedly will affect Arnold and his parents? You haven't even told him you were coming. They have not prepared themselves to accommodate you."

"I can help around the house. I can cook and clean. I have been doing that on my own for a while now, no thanks to Miriam. Plus I plan on enrolling myself to school. I don't intend on just moping around their house doing nothing." She countered back.

Phoebe was still not convinced. Based on Arnold's letters, she knew that he is very busy in helping his parents out, which often required him to go to the field with them.

"You know how busy Arnold is with his school and helping his parents. Do you think you two will find some time to be together? And are you also prepared to do hard, laborious work? To go back to the jungle and find specimens and plants for their experiments? You can be there for weeks at a time, with sometimes going to bed without a proper meal. You know how hard that is based on Arnold's letters. For him, it is fine because he sees it as some adventure, but do you really think you can take that?"

Helga was now getting irritated that Phoebe merely came here to convince her to stay. However, she reframed from exploding at her and merely said,

"Where there is a will, there is a way, Pheebs."

"Come on, Helga! You are a city girl. You know you can't stand living in a tropical country and having to live in the jungle, with no internet and no communication. We both know that you are not cut out for that. And what about you and Arnold? How do you think all of this is going to affect your relationship with him if you are not happy with how you are living with him? It will lead to further arguments. Your relationship with him was rocky when he was here, how do you think it is going to be there? Do you really want to impose this on Arnold and his parents?" Phoebe continued.

"Phoebe, just stop it, OK! I'm going and that's that!" She yelled, trying not to choke up.

Phoebe then tried one last roll of the dice.

"Did you ever think about how you leaving will affect me?" She asked her with a sad tone in her voice. "I already had to deal with one friend moving away, now I am basically losing my best friend too.

When Helga said nothing, she continued.

"We grew up together since we were three, and I want us to graduate together. I know we have become a little distant, but you are still my best friend and, I know this is being selfish, but I don't want you to go. I don't want to lose you. I want you go stay here so we can still hang out and talk. I'm afraid that if you leave, we may not be as close as we used to." She said, also trying not to choke up.

By now, there were only two people left in front of them before it was Helga's turn.

"But it is your choice, Helga. Whatever you decide." Phoebe concluded.

Helga was starting to lose her grip. She had been thinking everything that Phoebe had said to her and despite not wanting to admit it, she was right. Helga knew that this lifestyle that Arnold was living was not for her. She knew that she couldn't stand having to go back to the jungle for many days to collect yucky and sometimes dangerous specimens. She needed some stability in her life, and having to move around from one environment to another would be overwhelming. Plus she would be imposing on Arnold and his parents, not even knowing if they are able to accommodate her. To make matters worse, they were no longer a couple, so what was she expecting to achieve by going there? Even more so, this decision was hurting Phoebe, again. Essentially, the only thing that she had achieved was learning a new language, which was now useless.

As her turn was approaching, Helga started to cave in to the inevitable. Despite how much she missed him and how much she was willing to sacrifice for him, this was too much. She couldn't do it. She felt rage developing inside her. She wanted to explode, cuss everyone and everything out that she can't have even one ounce of happiness in her life. Her anger got to a point where it started to develop into a strong urge to cry. Tears started to develop in her eyes, but she stubbornly prevented them from falling. Yet the more she fought it, the greater the urge to cry grew. Yet, She was not going to sob in front of people.

_I'm not going to cry, I'm not going to cry. There are people here...I'm not going to…_

Finally, she couldn't take it any longer. When her turn came, Helga simply collapsed to the ground and started sobbing. Phoebe immediately knelled down and hugged her. She signaled to the person behind them to move past them and made hand gestures to the staff personnel that she was OK.

After a few minutes, Phoebe slowly picked up Helga, who was still crying and moved her to a bench where she continued to hug her and waited for her to regain herself.

"Why can't I be with him? Why did he have to move?! I waited more than 10 years to be with him and how he is gone!" She said while still crying.

"I waited too long. I shouldn't have bullied him for so many years. I shouldn't have organized the stupid video contest to go to San Lorenzo. He would have never have found his parents and he would still be here." She continued frustratingly.

Phoebe said nothing. She knew Helga was only saying these things out of anger. She knew she didn't mean them. She just continued to hug her.

Finally, Helga regained some of her composure and stopped crying, albeit a few tears continued to flow down from her eyes.

"I'm sorry Helga, but I had to tell you the truth." Phoebe said.

"I know. I would have made a terrible mistake and only cause more damage." She said. "Thanks Pheebs."

**Back at the present…**

"So ya, after I stopped crying, we just went home. My parents were none the wiser. They had no idea what I was about to do. I had asked Phoebe to not speak a word of this to anyone, so no one other than you and her know. Not even Arnold." She said to Rodrigo.

Rodrigo said nothing during this. He simply sat in his chair, playing with his pencil, listening attentively to every word Helga said. He didn't know how to react to this. Should he be happy? Should he be sad? Angry? Should he feel anything at all? He was so deep into his thoughts that he completely forgot to respond back to Helga.

"Hello? Are you there Latino boy? Crimeny, do not tell me you fell asleep while I spoke because I swear…" she began to say before Rodrigo cut her off.

"Helga, I'm here. Sorry I was just thinking about everything you just said… and I don't know what to say." He said.

"Well I didn't think I was going to break you again so easily." She said jokingly.

"I didn't break. I'm just conflicted as to how I should feel. I'm experiencing different emotions." He countered.

"Well, tell me about them." She said.

"Well, on the one hand, I'm sad that this plan didn't work out. I would have liked for it to work, if it meant that you were going to find happiness. I know you must have been hurt when you realized the reality of it. But on the other hand, I'm also glad that it didn't work because Phoebe was right, it was never going to work out so it would have made things worse for you. But I'm also glad it didn't work because had it did, I never would have met you." He confessed.

That last statement took Helga back a bit.

"You would have gotten through life fine without me." She countered.

"Oh I know I would have. I am just transferring one emotion between two different realities." He explained.

"Huh? How?" she asked.

"Ok, had you actually gone to San Lorenzo, I never would have met you and I would have gone through my life fine. Even if I may have met our friends I would have been fine. In that reality, because we never met, I would not be experiencing this emotion of possibly losing you as a friend. But because I did meet you and became friends, when I think about that possible reality of never meeting you, it hurts because that means I would have lost you as a friend. It's called empathy and this is how it works for people. We are able to transfer our emotions and our love for others into different realities. That's how we feel bad for others and sympathize with them. We are able to feel what it would be like in their shoes." He explained.

"I see. So it hurts you knowing that there is a possibility of us never meeting? I didn't know you care so much." Helga said sarcastically.

"Well duh. You're a cool and wonderful person to talk to. And after everything that we have gone through, you damn right that I'm going to care that much about our friendship." He said with a stern voice. Then he added in a joking way, "Besides, who else would I have to bother with MY antics?"

"Well umm…thanks. It's nice to hear that." She said sheepishly.

After some silence, Helga then added,

"Well I know you are probably busy, so I'll let you go. I just wanted to tell you that."

"Thanks, Helga for telling me. I'll talk to you later." He said.

"Oh wait. About what we spoke about during lunch; you're not Arnold and despite the similarities, you will never be him. You are you Rodrigo and…I glad that it is you and I hope you never change." She confessed.

"Thanks Helga, that means a lot." He said with a smile on his face. Then they both hung up their phones.

Rodrigo just sat in his chair after his talk with Helga. He felt extremely bad for her, yet could do little to help alleviate all her baggage. He hated seeing his friend being hurt like this, worse when he could do little to help them. All he could do for Helga was simply to be there for her and listen and when appropriate, comfort her.

After some moments, Rodrigo then went back to finishing his homework.

**At Helga's room…**

_Well Arnoldo, you are one popular boy here. We spent an entire lunch break comparing you to Rodrigo, although I don't think he was thrilled. He hasn't liked been compared to you, although I think he understands a bit more as to why we have been often doing that. Yet, we decided to stop doing that. It is not fair to him to think that we only became friends with him because he reminds us of you. Rodrigo is Rodrigo and that is how we should treat him. I should know the feeling. Back when we were kids, I hated it how much you used to compare me with Lila. Thankfully you stopped once we got together, much to your wellbeing, football head._

_Now, what is this I hear about you wanting to write to Rodrigo? What have Gerald and the others been telling you about him? I trust they have been saying nothing but positive things about him. He is a good friend of mine and I will not tolerate anyone cussing him out._

_I hope your Spanish has gotten better. The last time you wrote something in Spanish, I was not able to understand anything. You need a tutor football head. Perhaps I should teach you a few words._

_Ojala que lo estas pasando bien en San Lorenzo. Cuídate de esas peligrosas plantes y animales que tus padres requieren en colectar para sus 'experimentos'__. __(I hope all is well in San Lorenzo. Be careful with those dangerous plants and animals that your parents require you to collect for their 'experiments'.) _

_Tu amiga que te quiere__, (Your friend that likes you,)_

_Helga G. Pataki_


	15. Chapter 15 - Reconciliation

**Hi Everyone! In this chapter, Helga will attempt to come to terms with what has been causing her and Phoebe to become distant for years. Will Phoebe forgive her or will it be just pouring salt on a wound?**

* * *

Phoebe walked around her room nervously, as she waited for Helga to arrive. Although she would not divulge what she wanted to talk to her about, in her gut, Phoebe couldn't hide what she already suspected. She knew that Helga wanted to talk to her about the incident with Gerald years back. However, she wasn't sure if Helga was going to apologize or simply wanted to justify her actions. And why now? Why did she have to wait for years to finally apologize? What changed?

Whatever the reasons, the topic was making Phoebe extremely nervous and angry. She had never forgiven her for what she almost did to her boyfriend on that day. Worse still, that incident caused her to seriously consider a frightening option: terminating her friendship with Helga. Helga knew just how much Gerald meant to her. Even more, she knew that Gerald was only trying to help, trying to find a way to get her to trust him. Phoebe didn't need her to tell her that. It wasn't a crazy idea; both her and Arnold trusted him, two people whom Helga was closest to. Yet, she was unable to trust him. Instead, she allowed her fear and insecurity to get the better of her and she took her frustration out on Gerald.

The first weeks after the incident were hard on Phoebe. She was so furious at Helga that she was unable to see, much less speak to her for several days. Even on the day when they met up, Phoebe had to use every ounce of her strength to not yell, nor insult her. She understood why Helga had acted so defensively, yet she was unable to forgive her because despite the reasons, she crossed a line and she knew it!

Helga for her part, made no mention of the incident. She knew it would set Phoebe off and she was scared of what she would say or do to her. Yes, for the first time ever in their friendship, Helga G. Pataki was in complete fear of how Phoebe would react against her. Her fears were not unfounded; she was able to see it in Phoebe's eyes and it hurt her to see the anger and hate that Phoebe felt toward her. Helga realized that since their San Lorenzo adventure, Phoebe had become more confident and more independent of herself, so much so that Helga was no longer able to simply push her around or get her to take orders like she used to. Although Phoebe made no mention of it, Helga had serious suspicions that Phoebe may have wanted to end their friendship. Shame had so much consumed Helga that out of necessity, she repressed the memory of the incident and made every attempt to never raise the issue with her. Despite wanting to apologize to Phoebe, Helga felt that a simple 'I'm sorry' was not enough and she was petrified with fear of possibly losing her only, real friend.

It took Phoebe some months for her to behave normally around Helga. Unbeknownst to Helga, Phoebe was getting the necessary support from Arnold and even Gerald to get her to continue her friendship with her. Had it not been for their support, there was a real possibility that Phoebe would not have been able to continue with her friendship with Helga. Gerald's support was especially crucial. Despite getting almost beaten up, he insisted to Phoebe that she should continue her friendship with her. Gerald had made a promise to Arnold that he never allow any girl or person to get in the way with their friendship. He had the same expectation for Phoebe's friendship with Helga. As far as he was concerned, the incident was between him and Helga. Plus, Helga had no one else and he was afraid that if she lost her only friend, it would make things worse for her.

As Helga text messaged Phoebe to let her know that she was close, Phoebe contemplated on what she would say to her.

_What could she possibly want to talk about? Is it about Rodrigo, or the incident with Gerald? Oh, I really do hope it is about Rodrigo._ She thought.

_But if it is about the incident, what should I do? Should I accept her apology if she does ask for my forgiveness? Should I just let it go? No. Even if she comes here to apologize, I am not going to let her go easily. She needs to hear me out, she needs to know just how much it hurt me when she put her hands on my boyfriend. She needs to understand just how hard it was for me to ignore the incident as if it never happened. She needs to know! _She thought.

As Helga was walking toward Phoebe's house, she started becoming increasingly nervous. Her heart started to beat faster and more heavily. She was starting to experience a shortness in breath. Eventually, she had to stop midway and attempted to calm down, trying not to panic. She had been scared before, but this takes it to a whole new level. Unable to calm down, she attempted to call Rodrigo.

"Hello?" Rodrigo answered.

"Hey...it's me. I don't think I can do this." Helga responded back, while trying to breath.

"It's OK, just take deep breaths." he instructed her.

After about a minute of her breathing in and out, he then asked her,

"Just talk to me. Why don't you think you can do this?" he asked.

"Because I'm...scared...scared that she might not wants to be friends..."she answered as she was seriously choking up. Tears started falling down her cheeks.

"I was just so scared that she may have wanted to break it off back then, that I wasn't able to face it." she continued.

"Helga, I don't think she will break off her friendship with you. If she wanted to do that, she would have done it years ago. Yet, she remained your best friend. Yes, it was a hard pill for her to swallow, but she nevertheless did it, for you. Now, it is your turn to do the same. You have to do it, for her."

"But what if she doesn't forgive me?" she asked.

"Helga, that's a risk you are going to have to take. Sometimes to be a good friend means risking losing one. Will she be mad? Yes. Will she yell at you? Definitely. If she doesn't forgive you now, then I think she will with time, but at least you guys are able to put this aside and move on."

"OK, you're right." she said.

"You'll be fine. Just let her say what she needs to say, OK?" he said.

"OK"

"OK, let me know how it goes."

"OK, thanks. Bye"

"Bye"

Helga hung up her phone and continued walking. The weather did not help with the situation. It was already below freezing and it was snowing, with occasional winds. Helga couldn't help but notice the weather as a metaphor for her friendship with Phoebe; it had not only become distant, but cold. Ever brush of wind that she experienced, she metaphorically treated it as Phoebe pushing her away, to deter her from talking about it. Yet, she remained adamant: this had to end. Despite the cold, she quickly made her way to Phoebe's house. Finally, she made it and knocked on the door.

Mr. Heyerdahl opened the door and allowed Helga to come in.

"Thanks Mr. Heyerdahl. The weather has turned bad."

"I'm surprised you braved through this weather to see Phoebe today, Helga. Wouldn't a phone call have sufficed?"

"Unfortunately not. This is something that I need to speak to her in person." she responded back.

"Well, she is upstairs in her room." said Mr. Heyerdahl.

"Thanks."

Helga made her way up the stairs and into Phoebe's room. She found her best friend at her desk, trying to do her homework.

"Hey Pheebs. Thanks for seeing me today." said Helga.

"Not a problem Helga. So what it is what you wanted to talk about that you had to brave this weather? Is everything alright?" she asked her.

"No, it's not and that's why I needed to talk to you." she said.

Helga's heart was pumping so fast that she felt she was going to have a heart attack. Her hands were frozen from the nervousness that she was experiencing. But it is too late to back down now. She had to go through with it. She sat down on Phoebe's bed and began.

"I umm...no, we need to talk about the incident with Gerald some years ago." She finally confirmed her reason.

Despite Phoebe having been suspiciously aware that this is what Helga wanted to talk about, she felt she couldn't bring herself to discuss it. Too many emotions were simultaneously coming up that she was having trouble controlling. She initially felt that she was sure she would be able to talk about it. She even prepared a list of what she wanted to say to Helga. Now, she felt herself crumbling and was losing confidence if she was able to restrain herself.

"Helga, there's no need to bring that up now. That happened years ago and it's in the past..." she attempted to dissuade Helga from discussing this, but Helga held firm.

"No, we need to talk about it." she cut Phoebe off. "I'm just going to flat out say it. That's the problem; it's in the past, but it continues to affect the present, it's been affecting our friendship."

"Our friendship hasn't been the same since that incident, and I know I'm at fault. I missed us. we are not as close as we used to. And I know that you have been busy with school and stuff but we both know that that incident has played a big role in our friendship having cooled."

she took a deep breath and then continued,

"I just wanted say Phoebe, that I'm sorry for what I did to Gerald. I'm really sorry. There's no excuse for what I did to him. I know he just wanted to help, but he got me completely off guard about it. Him asking about my family situation just came out of nowhere and I didn't know how to react to it, except the way I usually do."

Phoebe looked on at her friend without moving an inch. Truth be told, she had waited for a long time for her to apologize for the incident. In other instances, she would have been able to accept it and move on. She should feel relieved, but instead, all she was experiencing was anger and it was continuing to rise. There were a lot things to be angry about. Why did it take her so long for her to apologize? Did she also apologize to Gerald? Her reasons were still not justifiable. Was she doing it for her own self intentions or were they genuine? Naturally, she wanted to ask her these things, to just discuss it but she was unable to. She was getting too angry, too emotional to think logically.

"You're sorry?" she asked.

Helga simply nodded.

Phoebe inhaled deeply, started frowning and re-asked her question,

"You're sorry?"

Helga again simply nodded, but knew her best friend was about to explode.

"That's all you came here to say?" she asked with a serious tone.

"No. I also came here to hear what you have to say." she said timidly. "I know you have a lot of things to say to me, so just say it." she continued with some more confidence in her tone.

_Fine, if she wants to talk about it, then let's talk about it!_ Phoebe thought.

Phoebe got up from her chair and looked down on Helga.

"Do you really think saying sorry is going to just cut it? Do you realize what you put me through, after everything I have done for you?" she asked her with a deadly tone on her voice.

Trying not to choke up, Helga said, "I know your angry Pheebs. You have every right to be."

"I'm not angry at you, Helga. I am furious and completely disappointed in you!" She began to yell at her. She finally exploded.

"How dare you put your hands on Gerald! You have no idea how horrified and how hurt I was when I saw you, my best friend, grabbing my boyfriend, getting ready to pummel him and for what?! For just trying to understand you, for trying to be friends you, at least for your sake and Arnold's?! At least for me, couldn't you have restrained yourself and simply told him to go away?!" she screamed at her.

"What does it take in order for you to take a hint that Gerald would never try to hurt you?! Arnold and I both trust him, why can't you?!" She continued.

Helga simply remained motionless and said nothing, with only biting her lips.

"I wasn't able to even see you, let alone speak to you for days because I was so furious with you!" Phoebe continued to scream at her. "And even when we met up, I couldn't even look at you in the eyes! I had to spend weeks in trying to move on, trying to get all of this anger and hatred out of my system just to continue to be friends with you! Of course we became distant after that! I didn't want to hang out with you as often as we did! I was only able to tolerate you for some time before I had to get away from you or else I was going to explode like I am doing now!"

"I'm tired of playing this charade with you Helga! I'm tired of having to find ways for people to get to just to talk to you without you having to bite their heads off! You were giving Rodrigo such a hard time that he actually had to came to me and ask for advice on how to deal with you! Do you realize how pathetic that is?! I'm completely surprised that despite everything you have put him through, he still wants to be your friend! Rodrigo had ask me to not tell you about this, but you know what?! I don't care! I have no desire to keep this information away from you!"

Again Helga said nothing, only gripping Phoebe's bed sheets tight and looking down.

"You know what else? After what you did to Gerald, I was so hurt and disappointed that I was actually considering in ending things with you Helga, ending our friendship! Had it not been for Arnold AND Gerald's support, there was a chance that I would have done it! Yes, despite what you did, Arnold and Gerald both insisted that I should continue in being friends with you! They didn't do it for my sake, they did it for you!" she continued to yell at her with enormous fury.

Helga had no words to describe the amount of hurt and guilt she was experiencing. It was utterly painful and humiliating. She felt her heart hurt and her stomach make this serious twist that she wanted to vomit. She wanted to make a run for it and escape from this torture, but she reframed from doing so.

"I know Gerald has always had his prejudice against you, yet you continue to blind yourself from all the things that he did for you! He helped you organize that video for the contest for San Lorenzo! He helped you and Arnold find the lost city of the Green-eyed people! We all hanged out and played together as friends because that's what we are: friends! Yet despite all of that, you still hold him with contempt! WHY?! It's not like you are an angel yourself. How many times have you threatened to beat him? How many times have you pushed him and attempted to prank him when we were kids? How many times did he have to see his best friend be humiliated by you, all because of a stupid crush?! How did you expect him to behave towards you after all of that?!"

Helga attempted to remain quiet but she was starting to lose her grip. She had underestimated how much anger Phoebe had been repressing all these years. It was A LOT of anger. Considering how sweet, calm and mature Phoebe can be, it is frightening to see her like this.

"How long are you going to keep this up Helga? How long are you going to continue leaving under your family's shadow?! How long are you going to let it run your life?! Your family's neglect of you, as a justification for you behaving this way is getting old! Gerald was right, people need to stop patronizing you! Don't think that wasn't lost to me on that day when we were comparing Arnold with Rodrigo!"

Phoebe finally took a break from her yelling in order to catch her breath. She was breathing heavily. She felt a lot better in having to let all that out, but then instantly realized to her horror how much information she just yelled at Helga.

"I'm sorry...Helga... I don't know what came over me... I was just so...angry that I couldn't keep bottled up inside me...anymore." She said while trying to catch her breath.

Helga initially said nothing. But no longer able to restrain herself, she started to cry and said,

"I'm so so...sorry in forcing you to feel that way about me. I never meant to hurt you Pheebs. I never meant to push you away and let you think that I am ungrateful for everything that you have done for me. You have no idea how grateful I am for what you did. I would not be here had it not been for you." while tears were falling down her eyes.

"You have nothing to be sorry about Pheebs, so don't be. I didn't come to you earlier because I was scared that I was going to lose my best friend over this. I was able to see it in your eyes during the first weeks after the incident, that I dare not bring it up and just repressed it from memory."

Despite what Helga said, Phoebe was starting to get consumed with regret in having said that much to her. She knew better than anyone the struggle she goes through every day. It is not something that you can just not consider when approaching Helga. Yet, she was not able to simply let this pass. This was one step too far that was too close to home. When the incident happened, she felt betrayed that her best friend would not have the decency to not take it out on Gerald.

"Helga..." Phoebe attempted to say something but was not able to gather her words.

Instead, she approached Helga and just instantly embraced her with a hug, letting Helga cry on her shoulders as she had gone before.

"I meant what I said back at the airport. I didn't want you go to San Lorenzo. You're my best friend and I would have missed you too much if you had gone. I know you want to be happy and I'm sorry that I'm not able to give you that. I was just afraid of losing you." she said as tears also started falling down her eyes.

"You did more than any friend could Pheebs and you were right about going to San Lorenzo, it was a stupid idea. Thank you." she said.

"I forgive you Helga. I know you didn't mean it and I know you instantly regretted behaving that way towards Gerald. You're not a bad person." she said, while choking up.

After some minutes, the two friends finally let go of each other. Phoebe grabbed a tissue for both of them to wipe their tears.

Both said nothing. They just sat on Phoebe's bedroom floor, close to each other and just enjoyed each other's company. None have experienced being this close to each other for years and felt unimaginably satisfying in finally putting this to an end. Finally Helga spoke,

"I'll talk to Gerald and apologize to him as well."

"Thanks Helga." Phoebe responded back with her sweet and soft voice again.

"Is it too much to hope that you two can finally reconcile?" she continued.

"Unfortunately so. I'm not sure if he told you, but weeks ago, he walked by my house, just as I was getting out to go for a walk. He was in thought about what he and the guys spoke to Rodrigo about. I think they were talking about me. Anyways, he apologize to me for not giving me benefit of the doubt, for allowing my past behaviour to cloud his judgement." Helga responded.

"Really? No, he never told me about this. What did you say?" Phoebe asked.

"I said thanks and I took a bold step and offered to see if we can try again to reconcile, but he said no. He said that 'ship had sailed long ago'. Don't be angry with him Pheebs. I don't blame him for not wanting to try again, especially if there was no guarantee of it actually working this time." she responded.

Phoebe was saddened and disappointed at Gerald's refusal. But she took Helga's advice and decided not to confront Gerald about it. She was too busy enjoying this moment; she had her best friend back.

By this time it had stopped snowing and the sun was coming out. Phoebe looked at the window and asked Helga,

"It stopped snowing, did you want to go for a walk?"

"Sure, that'd be nice Pheebs." she responded while smiling.

Phoebe opened the window but was immediately deterred when a huge, cold breeze zoomed into her room and right at her face. She immediately closed her window and said,

"On second thought, let's just go downstairs and have some hot chocolate."

The two went to the kitchen and Phoebe started making hot chocolate. Meanwhile, Helga was checking her phone. She had received a text from Rodrigo.

**Rodrigo: Hey, how's everything?**

**Helga: Couldn't be better. We're having hot chocolate.**

**Rodrigo: I'm glad things are working out. I'll ttyl. **

**Helga: see ya and thanks for helping me.**

**Rodrigo: No worries.**

"Everything alright Helga?" Phoebe asked as she was pouring hot chocolate onto two cups.

"Yeah. I was just texting Rodrigo. I've talked to him about what happened between us. There wasn't really much for him to say, but he has been there for moral support. I was almost panicking while I was coming here. I had to call him to get me to calm down." She explained.

Phoebe was surprised by this revelation. She did not know how much this was affecting Helga. She had seen her go into hysteria a few times, but never has she heard of her panicking. Just then, she proceeded to inquire on her friendship with Rodrigo.

"You guys seem to have bonded well." she remarked.

"I won't lie Pheebs, I'm glad I met him. He has been helping me a lot in sorting out my issues. He was the one that got me to start writing again. I have been taking dancing lessons with him after school for the last few months. It helps me relax and be less aggressive." she added.

"Have you been able to resolve your conflicting feelings towards him?" she asked.

"No. It has remained the same since you and I last spoke about it. I still feel somehow drawn to him, but I'm not able to feel the same way as I do with Arnold. I'm still in limbo about that." she responded back.

"What did you think about the comparison that we did between Rodrigo and Arnold this week?" Phoebe asked.

"It made me uncomfortable at how similar they are. I know he reminds me of Arnold, and I can see why I may be drawn to him. But there are differences. Arnold is patient, while Rodrigo is less so. Arnold is calm and rational, yet nurturing while Rodrigo can vary between people and situations. With me, he can be sympathetic and nurturing in one instance, but in others he can be direct and firm. Arnold is less active, but Rodrigo seems to be all over the place, yet he doesn't act all crazy, nor do I find it so overwhelming. If anything, sometimes I like it that he is that way. It makes it more fun to be around him." She explained.

Phoebe was still not going to say anything to Helga about her hypothesis. She needed more time to do research on this.

"what made you open up to him?" she asked

"Same reason why I opened up to you and Arnold: he saw past my though exterior and never stopped trying." she explained.

_Interesting..._She thought.

"How are things between you and Gerald? Have you guys decided if you will be going to different colleges?" she asked, wanting to change the topic.

"We're good, still going strong. No, we decided to just until next year and see what happens. I'm still a little indecisive on what career I want to pursue." she said. "We have been talking a lot about the future; about what we are going to do after our post-secondary years and where we are planning on living. I'm actually quite excited about that."

Helga simply smiled at her best friend, happy that her life had not been seriously interrupted by her own frantic life. She was envious of her. She would have killed to have the life her best friend led. She came from a good home, her boyfriend was still with her. She only wished she could also have that opportunity; of her and Arnold discussing a future together. Because they were still young when he left, they never had the chance to discuss about it. That's all she ever wanted; a future with Arnold, a future to be happy. Now, she only wished for his return back to her arms, forget contemplating about the future. Yet, she put such sad thoughts aside and continued listening to her best friend.

"Helga, what made you apologize now?" Phoebe asked her.

Helga took a sip of her hot chocolate before talking.

"About a month ago, Rodrigo and I were walking home. He explained me about the freedom to choose, and he did that by compare his situation with my own. He wasn't trying to say who had it worst. He was trying to explain how differently we both handle our issues. Basically, my problem is that I allowed my issues to consume me, to run my life, up to a point where it became automatic when it came to how I reacted towards others; I was angry at my situation so I projected that to other people. He said that because that I was born into a neglectful family, I had no choice but to accept it. The result is that I felt that I had no choice in anything. His point was that, despite my circumstances, I still have a choice, I still have the freedom to make certain decisions and in many ways, I already have, even if I did not realize it." Helga explained.

"Up until then, I thought I was mostly in control. I thought that the way I acted towards people was something that I did by choice. But I realize that this tough exterior that I have, this tendency to push people away and to act hostile, even if it is part of who I am, was still mostly influenced by my issues at home. It wasn't something that I had any control over it. It was then when I recognized just how delusional I was. I can't fully explain to you how much that shook me, right to the core. With the incident, I cannot say if the way I reacted was by choice or impulse. But what I did realize is that I despite what happened, I still had some measure of control. I still had the choice to make things right. So with that in mind, I made the choice to no longer allow my fear and guilt about the incident to interfere with our friendship. But not only that, I was no longer going to let it deter me from apologizing to Gerald. I feel bad about what I did to him, and I had wanted to apologize to him, but the guilt and fear prevented me from doing so. With Rodrigo's help, I was able to gather enough strength to face it, even if it meant risking losing you as my best friend. I'm just really sorry it took me this long to realize it." she concluded.

Phoebe was surprised by this revelation. She had always thought that Helga, despite her flaws, was one of the most bravest and toughest people she had ever known. Like her best friend, she also thought Helga was mostly in control of her life. Yet her explanation revealed to Phoebe that Helga was more vulnerable than she originally thought. It had never occurred to Phoebe just how little in control Helga actually felt in her life. Worse still, she thought that Helga's unwillingness to apologize to her and Gerald was mostly due to her stubbornness and pride rather than in her fear and insecurity.

"I'm tired Pheebs." Helga continued. "I'm tired of living like this; of being angry all the time. I don't want to live like this anymore. I just want to live my life with some measure of happiness, even if it means living a life without Arnold." she sighed.

Phoebe looked at her friend attentively. She then smiled at her and said,

"Then let us do it together."

Helga smiled back and gently grabbed her friend's hand.

"Thanks Pheebs."

The two teens continued talking for almost two hours, catching up on many of the events that had occurred in their lives but had neglected to tell each other about it. It was tremendously warming to just talk without the heavy burden that used to accompanied them. Eventually, Helga had to get back home as the weather report indicated of another snow storm coming soon. They said their goodbyes and then Helga made her way home.

Once she was out of the house, she then decided to call Rodrigo.

"Hey, are you busy?" she asked him when he answered the phone.

"No, no I'm good. So what's the scoop?" he asked.

Helga told him everything on how things went and their eventual reconciliation. However, she reframed from telling him about Phoebe revealing about Rodrigo coming to ask her for advice on how to handle Helga. He did not need to know that.

"That's good Helga, I'm really happy for you both." he said.

"Thanks Latino boy."

"Are you going to also apologize to Gerald?" he asked.

"Ya, I am. I don't expect him to forgive me, but at least I can make my peace with him." She responded.

"That's good. I'm sure he will forgive you, even if he doesn't want to reconcile." said Rodrigo.

"Ya, well I gotta Latino boy. I gotta help Olga clean up." said Helga.

"OK, take care. See ya Monday." said Rodrigo.

"Bye."

**Later that evening...**

_I honestly have no idea how you and Rodrigo are able to easily acknowledge your mistakes to others. For me, it has always been difficult to acknowledge it, especially in front of others. I guess it is because I have always attributed it as a form of vulnerability. With Phoebe it was worse. The prospect of having to lose her as my best friend terrified me so much that I found it preferable to living in a fantasy where the incident did not happen, rather than acknowledge to express to her just how sorry I was for hurting her and for almost hurting Gerald. Unlike other times where I felt I was going to expose something of myself, in this case I felt that I was actually going to lose someone; her._

_Admittedly, for someone who poses a tough exterior, I can be quite feeble. I am probably the most paradoxical, if not the most oxymoronic person you have ever met, football head. But I am still working on it, day by day, trying to find that Aristotelian Mean that Rodrigo spoke to me about a month ago._

_I'm sorry to hear in your last letter about the flood damaging your parents' experiments. That must suck. Hope you don't need to spend too much time back in the jungle collecting more specimens. Speaking of which, we found out that Rodrigo is not from San Lorenzo, as we originally thought. We still don't know where he is from and we keep forgetting to ask him. Perhaps whenever you get a chance to write to him you can ask him._

_Your survivor,_

_Helga G. Pataki_

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**Just a respond to some reviews:**

** Nati55: ¡Muchas gracias por tus comentos! A que ver si Helga avanzara en su vida con Rodrigo, pues nada está confirmado. Solamente el futuro nos va a decir ;) No te preocupes, yo estoy comprometido en continuar con este cuento hasta su fin.**

**Ezza: Thanks. I'm actually glad to hear that despite you being a Shortaki ship, you are liking the whole Rodrigo and Helga duo. One of my concerns was that HA! fans were not going to be well receptive to Helga in possibly liking someone else other than Arnold.**

**Call Me Nettie****: Thank you, I try to make the story as diverse and as authentic as I can.  
**


	16. Chapter 16 - A Drunken Night

**Hi everyone! So after a serious argument with her dad, Helga, very upset, accidentally stumbles upon some of her mom's hidden alcohol stash... **

* * *

**Friday After school...**

Helga arrived home from school, irritated at having to waste her time at that 'mental institution' they call a school.

_What a laughing joke! Could those kids get any dumber? This education system does nothing to stop the flow of retards from graduating. On the contrary, they encourage it!_ She thought to herself bitterly.

Unfortunately she did not have time to ponder more about her school, as she instantly started hearing yelling from the living room.

_Ugh, great. Big Bob is on one of his rants again. What did Olga do now, besides not getting a leading role...again._ She thought to herself annoyingly.

Yet, as she prepped closer, she realized that her father was not yelling at Olga, but at her mom.

"For crying out loud Miriam, again?! You started drinking again?! You were doing so well before and now you completely fell back into the wheel!" he yelled.

"Now B the counsellor said...umm...that these relapses are...common among recovering addicts..." Miriam attempted to explain, but was unable to get her point across as she was intoxicated.

"Yes, but only those who are not getting the support that they need! For Pete's sake Miriam, Olga and I have been very supportive of your recovery! Heck, even the girl has been supporting you. So you have no reason to relapse back, other than from your own failings!" he continue to berate her.

"B, I'm sorry. I'll try harder..." Miriam attempted to talk, but Big Bob cut her off.

"Sure you will, like you did all those other times and still failed!" he continued to yell at her.

Although never having been close to her mother, Helga was not taking too kindly of the way Big Bob was treating her at the moment. She felt she needed to step in.

"Calm down Bob! You are not helping her by making her feel this way." she said as she entered the living room.

"Don't try to defend your mother, Olga! She has been like this for years! Every day I had to watch her do nothing but sleep, eat and drink and contribute nothing in this house! I'm sick of it!" he yelled.

"First off, for the thousand time, it's Helga! Not Olga! And secondly, didn't it occur to you that perhaps the reason why she was never able to get out of her addiction was because you are so overbearing that it can be seriously detrimental for her to ever get out of it?" she rhetorically asked him.

"Don't put the blame on me, Helga! I have worked very hard to get this family to where they are financially, even having to completely redo my business in order to ensure it doesn't go down the toilet. None of you helped me with that, except myself! All I asked of her is to do her part, to take care of the house and of you! Yet, she did nothing of that!"

"Speaking of which," he continued to talk while also looking at her, "I could say the same for you."

"What?" she asked with a surprising look.

_Where is he going with this?_ She thought.

"You never come stairs unless you are forced to. You are always cooped up in your damn room all day long, doing God knows what, wasting your time when you could be doing something useful for a change. You never greet us, or even give us a single 'hello' when you come home." he continued.

"I would if you guys pay more attention to me! How many times have I tried to talk to you in the past, only to be shushed away or ignore whatever I have to say?! So why would I say hello to you when you never even acknowledge me in the first place?!" Helga yelled back at him.

"Oh come off it Helga! You just don't appreciate what you have in this house! You act like you own everything, pretending you earned all of this while in fact this was given to you!" Big Bob yelled back.

"I have nothing Bob! What all this means is nothing to me!" she yelled back while pointing at the house. "It wouldn't kill you if you and Miriam just paid a bit more attention to what I have to say or to my interests. None of you have even attended any of the events or games that I participated in!"

Big Bob remained unsympathetic towards Helga.

"Oh yeah? When was the last time you entered any extracurricular activities or events?" he asked her with his arms crossed.

Helga just stared at Big Bob with her mouth opened. She was mentally kicking herself for falling right into that.

"Uh, umm, I umm..." Helga attempted to defend herself but stumbled her words.

"When was the last time you won anything?" he continued to interrogate her.

"I won some, but that's not the point!" she yelled back.

"That is the point! We only support winners in this house and wins! And besides, how do you expect me to attend to your activities when I come home and find this house as if a hurricane came through?" he yelled as he pointed at Miriam.

"It's not like you can cook or clean. All you do when you come home is watch that stupid TV or focus on your business!"

"That's not the point! I do my part so I expect your mother and you to do yours!" he yelled back.

"And what is my part, Bob?" she asked him.

"To shape up and stop thinking about that orphan boy." he responded back.

For the second time, Helga merely looked at him with wide eyes, surprised at his statement.

"Don't look so surprised Helga. You have been mopping around, acting all depressed and hurt ever since Albert left this city years ago." he said.

"It's Arnold, Bob" she corrected him while scowling at him.

"Whatever. I know he was your boyfriend, but crimeny move on already! It's been years. To think that this kid has a strong hold on you that you can't even let go and move on, not to mention it has been affecting your performance, that is an utter failure on your part! You are just like your mother and I will not tolerate failure in this house!"

Helga had to hide the pain she instantly felt when her own father implied that she was a not only a weakling, but a failure. She would not show it to him though; he didn't deserve it. She merely gave him a deadly but hurtful glare and simply said to him, "thanks Bob...for believing in me." before she turned around and started walking upstairs.

"Hey hey hey hey hey! We're not done talking here young lady!" he yelled at her.

"We are done talking!" she yelled back at him and then started running upstairs and into the bathroom.

"You really need to shake up this sad mood and shape up young lady! You're a Pataki and Patakis keep things under the rug!" he yelled back.

Helga slammed the door shut and started to wash herself. She wasn't sure why she felt she needed to do that. She took a shower this morning. She just felt she needed to be...clean and do something to stave off the growing anger and hurt that she was feeling at that moment.

While breathing heavily with fury, she ended up washing her hands three times as she violently attempted to wash the 'dirt' that were supposedly on her hands, to the point of almost breaking the soap. After washing her face and hands more than once, she grabbed the towel to dry herself. Once done, and not bothering to put it back on the handrail, she simply threw it on a magazine basket so hard that it knocked the basket onto the floor.

*clang*

When she heard that sound, it forced her to stop walking out. She turned around and looked at the fallen basket and saw what appeared to be a bottle. Suspiciously, she grabbed it and realized she stumbled upon one of Miriam's secret stash.

_So this is where she hides her stuff._ She thought.

Without thinking, she quickly put it under her sweater, unlocked the door then quickly went outside and then into her room, closing and locking the door. Once she was safe, she pulled out the bottle and realized that it had no label on it. The liquid was golden brown substance.

_It's probably rum or whiskey_. She thought.

She wasn't sure why she grabbed it instead of throwing it away, but she nevertheless put it on her study table, sat down on her bed and simply looked at it. After a while, she got up again, grabbed it, opened it and attempted to smell it.

_Ugh! It smells like rubbing alcohol! Why would people waste their money on this crap? It doesn't even smell good._ She though with some disgust.

Curiously, she decided to try it and took a swig. Luckily it was only a small sip because she almost choked on it when she realized just how strong it was. It was burning her throat, almost like acid!

*cough**cough* "Oh crimeny that's strong! Sheesh. You have to have an iron liver to support this piece of garbage!" she exclaimed.

Yet, despite the awful taste, Helga then felt compelled to take another sip. For a while, she resisted the temptation, but after rehearing what her own dad said to her, she relented and took another, but bigger sip. The second round felt a bit better this time; she now knew what it will taste like so there were no surprises. After a third sip, pretty soon, she started feeling that buzz and started to feel more relaxed.

_Huh, this is why people drink. It feels...good._ She thought, as she took another sip of it.

**A few hours later, at Rodrigo's room...**

While Helga was taking her first alcoholic sip, Rodrigo was busy getting himself ready for going out Friday night. A few days previous, he was invited to go to an all-ages club by his dancing friends; a Latin club, naturally. Excited, he accepted without hesitation.

Rodrigo commented on this to Helga and to her surprise, invited her to come with him. However, Helga flatly refused the offer, stating that clubbing was never really her thing and she hated the loud music and the lack of space. She would sometimes get claustrophobic if she was ever in a room filled with so many people. However, she would soon regret her response.

**Earlier on Friday...**

Rodrigo entered his history class and found that Helga was already there in her seat. He made his way towards his seat and sat down.

"Have fun dancing alone at the club tonight, Latino boy." she said with a smirk on her face.

"Thanks, but don't worry, I won't be dancing alone." He replied back.

"Oh?"

"Carmen asked me to be her date for tonight, so I'll be dancing with her." He replied.

Helga nearly jumped from her seat when she heard that. She held on to her desk tightly, trying not to let her anger get the best of her.

"I thought you said that you were not into her." she said while trying to remain calm.

"I'm not. We are just going as friends, no biggie." he replied back.

"That's...great. I'm sure it'll be a blast." She said while trying to sound genuine even though she was grinding her teeth with a fury.

"Thanks, Helga. Oh by the way, would it be OK if we cancel our dancing lessons for today?" he asked.

"What?" she asked him.

"Well, with the amount of time it will take to get home, eat and do my homework and also getting ready for the club, I'll be arriving late there. I'd figure if we postpone our dancing lessons for tonight, I should have enough time. Is that OK?" he explained.

*snap*

"Are you OK?" he asked her with a concerned look on his face.

"Yeah, I am. Why wouldn't I be?" she asked him with a nervous and giggly smile.

"Because you broke your pencil." He commented.

Helga got so infuriated over what Rodrigo asked, that she inadvertently snapped her own pencil right in front of him. It was either the pencil or Rodrigo's neck.

"Oh, stupid pencil's interior must have been weak. I was barely touching it when it broke like that, hehe." She quickly explained to him nervously, while holding the broken pencil extremely tight in her hand.

"But ya sure, we can postpone our dancing lesson, no biggie." She said

Feeling defeated, she merely slumped down her seat and sadly added, "Have fun tonight Rodrigo."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

Rodrigo was not certain that Helga was OK with him cancelling their dancing lessons. He really needed the time to get ready before the club, but he didn't want to upset her.

"Did I stutter? I said it's OK." she retorted back.

"Thanks, Helga." He said with a smile.

_It's only one time that I cancel. I'm sure she is not too upset over it._ He reassured himself.

Despite having been reassured that Rodrigo was no longer interested in Carmen, it nevertheless bothered Helga to no end that he was going out with her this Friday and she couldn't figure it out why. She figured it must have been the possibility of them renewing their interest in each other and going to a club no doubt usually leads to that. But again, why was that her problem? She wanted to say something. Heck, she wanted to take back her previous decision and go to the club with him, but it was too late. She would only make herself look like a fool and Rodrigo would no doubt ponder as to why all a sudden she seems willing to go to the club with her, when in actually, she only wanted to go to ensure Rodrigo would not be going with Carmen.

**Back in Rodrigo's room...**

Soon after getting ready, Rodrigo grabbed his jacket and hat, then quickly put on his shoes and stepped outside to party!

He quickly rendezvoused with Carmen and their friends.

"Hola Carmen, ¿qué tal?" (Hi Carmen, what's up?) Rodrigo asked as he kissed her on the cheek.

"Hola Rodrigo. Bien, ¿y tu?" (Hi Rodrigo. Good and you?) she asked back.

"Bien, bien. Hola Javier, Fernando, Sebastián ¿Están listos a ir la pachanga?" (Good, good. Hi Javier, Fernando, Sebastian. You guys ready to party?) he asked them excitedly.

"Si pues, Rodrigo." (Ya, Rodrigo.) Javier replied back with a smile.

"¿Pues, donde están tus parejas?" (Well, where are your dates?) Rodrigo asked them.

"Oh, no te preocupes, ese. Mercedes, Jimena y Isabela nos van a encontrarnos en el club. Aparentemente necesitaban 'tiempo' para poner sus maquillajes y nos querían sorprendernos." (Oh, don't worry about it. Mercedes, Jimena and Isabella are going to meet us at the club. Apparently they needed 'time' to put on their makeup and they wanted to surprise us.) explained Sebastián

"Chev. Pues, vámonos." (Cool. Well, let's go) said Rodrigo.

Once the bus arrived, they quickly hopped on the bus to go to the club. It wasn't far. The club was not in downtown, so it was not far from the neighbourhood. It was a new club that only recently opened a few years back and quickly became popular with both adults and teenagers. After stepping out of the bus, the friends quickly formed their line and waited to get into the club. Because they got there early (surprisingly, since Latinos usually arrive late to a party or club) they didn't have to wait long to get into the club.

After paying the entrance fee and getting their coats checked, they quickly made it to the dance floor and started dancing.

**An hour later...**

_Ven, bailalo  
Ay, ven, bailalo  
Ven, gozalo  
Ay, ven, gozalo  
Que la rumba está buena y contigo, morena  
Pa' Santo Domingo  
Es que me voy yo_

_Y es que me voy yo contigo  
Así que prepara el equipaje  
Dale, que nos fuimos de viaje  
Baila, mi morena, ese swing salvaje  
Metele coraje, y no te me rajes  
Hasta abajo, dale..._

While grinding Carmen to the reggaeton remix song _Ven Bailalo_, Rodrigo felt his cell vibrate. He ignored it. He was having too much fun.

Despite it being all-ages, there was barely anyone that exceeded the age of twenty and those that were, brought with them a date. For all its intent and purposes, everyone consented and had fun, surprisingly.

The club was no getting full with people, and it as getting hot. Couples were busy dancing to the music, with some even making outrageous dancing moves or just trying to show off. Rodrigo was starting to sweat a bit as he continued to grind Carmen, who was also starting to sweat, but neither of them minded.

After a few more songs, Rodrigo excused himself to go to the washroom. While there, he remembered his cell. He took it out from his pocket and saw that Helga texted him.

**Helga: Hej**

**Rodrigo: Hey, Helga. ****Sorry I missed your text. What's up?**

Rodrigo then put his cell back into his pocket and went to release himself. After doing that and washing his hands, he was walking out of the washroom when he felt his cell vibrate again.

**Helga: I'm vdong da moves**

**Rodrigo: What? Type again. I didn't understand.**

**Helga: Me dagin to sa moves!**

_Umm, OK?_ He thought to himself.

**Rodrigo: I think your cell is not working because I really cannot understand what you are sending me. I'll call you once I'm out of the club.**

Rodrigo then put his cell away and went back to the dance floor.

**Two and a half hours later...**

Feeling tired and as it was nearing their curfew, Rodrigo and his friends exited the club and prepared to head home.

After waiting for a few minutes, the bus finally arrived to take them home. Yet within only a few minutes after getting inside, the bus started experiencing problems and had to stop. Not wanting to get home late, the gang got off and decided to walk home. As they were still in a partying soon anyways, they decided to literally dance their way home.

After a few more minutes, the gang was approaching the movie theatre, indicating to them that they were close to their neighbourhood. Still in a partying mood, the friends were busy making break dancing moves while heading home, as well as making outrageous jokes. Just as they were in the process of passing the theatre, Helga was just stepping out of the theatre, disoriented and unable to see the oncoming teens. Without realizing it, as Rodrigo was doing a little break dancing, he turned around a few times, only to collide with Helga as she was walking right into his path, throwing both teens onto the floor.

Helga said nothing as she landed onto the floor, but Rodrigo got angry at the collision.

"Hey! Watch were you are...Helga?!" he started to shout before realizing who he collided with.

The rest of his friends, surprised at the collision, regained their focus and attempted to help both teens up.

"Sorry Helga, I didn't see you. Are you OK?" he asked her with a worried tone.

"Rodrigo? Ya I am...I guess" she replied back while stumbling on her words.

It then became apparent to Rodrigo that was something was not right. She looked disoriented and she was wobbly. As he approached her, he smelled something and soon realized what it was.

"Helga, have you been...drinking?"he asked her with a shocked look on his face.

Helga merely made a snort and said, "Ya, why? Do I smell?" while giving him a smirk.

Realizing the severity of the situation, and not wanting her to humiliate herself in front of his friends, he quickly walked towards them and asked them to go home without him.

"Oye, eses. Handa sin me. Tengo que hablar con Helga sobre algo." (Hey guys, go on without me. I have to speak with Helga about something).

He then looked at Carman and said to her, "Lo siento Carmen, pero es algo importante." (I'm sorry Carmen, but it's something important.)

Carmen merely smiled and replied back, "No te preocupes. Nos vemos el lunes" (No worries. We'll see you on Monday.)

After he said his goodbyes, Rodrigo then quickly turned around to take care of Helga.

"Helga, let's get you home." he said to her.

"Oh no! I'm not going back to that wretched place of a home!" she shouted at him as she backed away from him.

"Why? What happened?" he asked her.

"None of your business Latino boy! It's a Friday night and I just don't want to go home!" she yelled at him.

Not wanting to further cause a scene, Rodrigo then offered another suggestion.

"Ok, then let's get something to eat. I'm hungry anyways" He said to her.

"Sure, whatever floats...your...umm...uh...you know my line." she replied back.

Despite having some composure, Rodrigo still had to grab her by her hand and gentle walk with her to the nearest pizza restaurant store. They made their way inside and Rodrigo quickly ordered them some food and water. After paying for them and getting their food, they sat down and started eating.

Realizing just how thirsty she was, Helga completely drank her entire water cup, so much so that Rodrigo ended up giving her his.

"F***! My head!" she exclaimed.

"Whoa for a drunk, you sure have a dirty mouth." Said Rodrigo with a smirk.

Helga didn't say anything and merely ate her pizza in silence. After more than forty minutes, Helga sobered up enough to ask Rodrigo,

"What are you doing here?"

"I was coming home from the club. Our bus broke down so we ended up walking. We were still in a partying mood so we started dancing along the way home. That's how you and I collided; I didn't see you." He explained.

"Why were you at the movies?" he asked her.

Helga merely looked at and replied back sarcastically, "Doi, because I wanted to see a movie?"

"Alone?"

"Ya, I wanted to go alone." She replied back.

"Why were you drinking, Helga?" he asked her calmly.

Helga said nothing and merely started looking everywhere, except him. Feeling ashamed, she was unable to even look at him in the eyes.

"I should go. Sorry for ruining your night." She said sadly as she attempted to get up and leave, but Rodrigo quickly got up and put his hand around her.

"Helga, it's alright. I'm not here to judge you. I just want to know what happened so I can help you." He said.

Helga wasn't having any of it. She felt too ashamed to be even stand next to him.

"No one can help me. And it's not your problem" she said as she attempted to move his arm away to let her leave.

"Helga, you're not the only one that went through this. You're not the only one that started drinking to hide your problems." He firmly said to her, prompting Helga to finally stop moving away.

"What?"

"I...also started drinking." He confessed.

Rodrigo invited Helga to sit back down so he can tell her his story. She initially hesitated for a while, but then finally gained enough backbone to sit back down in front of him.

"Did I just hear correctly that you also had a drinking episode?" she asked him.

Rodrigo simply nodded.

"When?" she asked

"Back in LA. Right after my parents informed me that almost our entire family severed all communication with us. I couldn't take it." He explained.

"One night, I heard my parents arguing over it. They were basically blaming everyone. My grandparents, their siblings, even myself. My dad especially was utterly pissed at them! He is usually a calm and patient guy, but on that night he lost it. Man, he said some swear words in Spanish that I never heard! Phew!" he continued to tell his story jokingly.

"I think they were just really hurt and angry over what they just did to them and they just needed to let it all out. Unfortunately I overheard them blaming me. I remember their exact words and how angry they were at me. It was...not a good feeling at all. I felt guilty and ashamed for putting them through this. At that point, I thought they hated me. Needing to get away, I took off, ran out of the house and into some classmates that I knew were from a bad crowd and I drank with them on that night."

"Haha, let me tell you, I was completely wasted. I don't remember anything from that night. All I know is that when I woke up, I was in my bed with a light meal on my study table. Once I woke up and ate the food, I went downstairs and saw my parents, who quickly came to me and hugged me. When I asked them what happened, they told me that I ended up drinking three-quarters of a bottle of whisky and the people that I was with, who didn't know that this was my first time drinking, ended up calling the police because I collapsed on the road and wouldn't wake up. Once the cops arrived, they obviously took me to the hospital and cleared my body of all the alcohol. Basically I almost died on that day. The doctors told me parents that I was lucky to be alive. I was unconscious throughout so my parents had to take me home that night."

"I don't tell people this because it wasn't exactly my finest hour." He said sheepishly.

Despite still being tipsy, Helga was conscious enough to comprehend Rodrigo's story and the severity of it.

"What did your parents say to you?" she asked.

"After they told me what happened, I obviously told them that I was sorry for the stupid mistake of drinking. But my parents simply shushed me and told me that they were to blame. They never should have blamed me for what our family did to us. It was them, not me. They were just hurt and angry and said things that they didn't mean." He explained.

"You shouldn't be surprised at what happened. Like you, there is only so much a person can take before he explodes." He continued with a smirk.

Helga said nothing and simply looked at Rodrigo with sad and distressful eyes, knowing full well that had he not survived, he wouldn't be here with her and she never would have met him. She wasn't sure why, but her heart began to seriously hurt at the thought of possibly never of have met him, as if she would have lost someone very dear to her. Without thinking and not really caring what he would think, she instantly grabbed his hand and held it tight, but reframed from crying. Rodrigo understood the gesture and simply reciprocated.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered to him.

"It's OK. I wasn't trying to kill myself. I just...wanted to feel better. I never drank after that again and I never became an alcoholic. I had the support of my parents so after a few days I was back on my feet." He explained.

Helga simply smiled at the news.

"Luck you." She finally said.

"Yeah, lucky. Now it's your turn. Why were you drinking?" he asked.

Helga groaned a bit and hesitated to tell him what happened. She sighed heavily.

"I started drinking because of what Big Bob said to me earlier today." She began.

Despite Rodrigo's story, Helga still felt ashamed and was unable to look at him.

"Who's Big Bob?" he asked.

"My dad. I usually call him by his first name."

"OK."

"I came home today from school and heard him yelling at my mom. She is a recovering alcoholic and had relapsed again. He was frustrated about it and was berating her. I attempted to intervene, but then he took out his anger out at me."

"Did he hurt you?" he asked.

"No, not physically." She responded. "Anyways, he said that I am ungrateful for not appreciating what he has given me. I don't know how, but he knew how Arnold's departure took a heavy toll on me and he criticized me for not being strong enough to get over him. He did have a point, I'll give him that. But what really hurt below the belt was that he said that I was like my mom; a total failure. I couldn't even get over Arnold, so what chance do I have in making it out in the real world? He doesn't even have the decency to put any faith on his own daughter." She continued.

"After that, I ran upstairs and washed myself. I don't know why I felt I needed to do that. I guess it was because I felt disgusted with myself. Anyways, I saw one of Miriam's bottles and grabbed it, went to my room and started to drink."

"How much did you have to drink?" he asked.

"Not sure, but at least almost half the bottle, although it was not full when I saw it. I drank it slowly, over the span of a few hours. I got drunk, but not wasted. I decided to go watch a movie while intoxicated and just try to get my mind off of things. And the rest you know what happened."

"Why did you feel you needed to drink?" he asked her.

Helga thought about it for awhile, while also trying not to start crying. Only one or two managed to come out, which she wiped with her hands.

"I needed something to relax, to just feel normal, if not happy for just a little while. But I also did it because since I was like my mom, why not start there?" she explained with almost a whimper.

"This is not the first fight I had with my parents. Normally when it happens, I would usually go to stay with Arnold, or with Phoebe. Obviously Arnold isn't here, but his grandparents still live here and I know I would always be welcomed there. But I didn't want to bother them. They are getting older and don't need all of this drama. I was going to text Phoebe, but I know she is with Gerald at the moment and I didn't want to interrupt their Friday night." She went on.

"Is that why you texted me in the end?" he asked.

"I did?" she asked with a confusing look.

"Ya, but I wasn't able to understand what you were sending me. In the end, I told you that I would call you back." he said, as he took out his cell and showed her the text that he received from her.

"What the...? What the hell did I text you? I was at the movies during that time so I guess I was trying to say that I was at the movies." She explained.

"Ah, that makes senses." He said as he scanned the text and understood what she was trying to text him.

As silence started to develop between them, Rodrigo had a thought and was curious to see what Helga had to say about it.

"What did Arnold think about your parents?" he asked her.

"Pfft. That stupid football head used to always tell me that my parents love me; they just aren't good at showing it. Well that and they have their own 'issues' that they have yet to resolve and it has been interfering in their lives." she replied as she ate another slice of pizza.

"What do you think about that?" he asked.

"At first I thought he was being his usual optimistic self and for a while, I believed him. I mean, yes my parents neglected me, but there have been times when they pulled through. But it was never enough for me to be convinced that they actually changed. They would always revert back to their original self. That, and I always lived in a cozy house, I technically do have wealth, but none of that means anything to me. All I really wanted, needed, was for my parents to just pay attention and to listen to me. Apparently that was too much to ask." she explained while rolling her eyes.

"Eventually," she continued, "it got to a point where Arnold's optimism about my parents started to bug me and I would just get frustrated, if not infuriated with his comments. I felt that whenever he tried to come up with an explanation to get me to understand their side, he was defending them, if not justifying their actions. I would get so furious with him that sometimes we would get into serious arguments." she continued.

"Back in eighth grade, we had to do a stupid assignment where each of us had to live at another student's home for one day. Arnold was chosen to live at my house, while I got to live in his house for a day. I don't know what he saw or what my parents said to him, but after that assignment, he stopped trying to be optimistic about my family home. I never asked them what happened. I was just glad that he stopped trying to convince me that my parents were good people who were 'trying' to be good parents." she said nonchalantly.

"I concur. I don't think there is any justification for what your parents did to you. They were supposed to have been there for you and they weren't." he commented.

Helga smiled at him, relieved that there was finally someone that understood her point of view.

"But I think Arnold was on to something." he added.

Helga's smile then instantly disappeared.

"And it all goes out the window." she said while throwing her arms up in the air.

"No, you're wrong if you think I'm not taking your point of view about this. I am. But I'm also taking your parents point of view." he said.

"Your problem is that because you are so invested in this, you are unable to look at the bigger picture, like Arnold and me." he continued.

"Kindly inform this damsel in distress on how I missed the bigger picture?" she asked sarcastically with a bit of irritation in her voice.

"I think Arnold is right; your parent do love you. They just suck in expressing it appropriately. And I'm sure that stems from their own upbringing or whatever issues they faced while growing up, issues that unfortunately, they have yet to resolve, and it has affected their ability to raise children." he said.

"The thing is, it is a huge chain of events that leads to how things are now, things that we cannot control. It could have been their parents, their friends, their environment, or even how they interpreted certain events. Whatever the case, I'm sure they must have been central enough for them to act this way with you. Unfortunately, this still does not justify things because in the end, it is up to them to decide on how they act, even if they cannot control some of them. They are the ones acting upon them, so they must be held responsible. So it is no longer a simple process of blaming them and categorizing them as simple 'bad parents'. It is easy to blame people for their mistakes because it feels good to do so, regardless of whether they deserve it or not. With your situation, they do need to be held responsible for what they did, but at the same time, it is unfortunate because they must have also gone through their own hard times."

"So you're saying that I'm basically stuck between a rock and a hard place?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Pretty much. So it is up to you now to get out of it. Your parents are in the same situation and they failed. It up to you now to ensure that you don't fail. If anything, you have been succeeding. If you read between the lines, I think that's what your dad was trying to tell you, to keep on going, to not trip and fall and if you do, get up again." he explained.

Amazingly, Helga was still able to understand what Rodrigo was trying to say, despite her headache and still being tipsy. At the same time, she was taken aback by this and didn't know how to react. It sounded like he was defending them, but at the same time he wasn't. She was having a hard time putting the full blame on them like she always tried to do.

"And what do you think I should do with my parents? Should I forgive them for their transgressions?"

"That's up to you Helga. I can't make that decision for you. My only concern is that whatever decision you make about your parents, you do not regret it. My other concern is that you become better than your parents, that you do not continue the cycle. Break it." he replied back.

Helga said nothing for a good while as she pondered on what Rodrigo had said. She then looked at the clock and realized that it was getting late and she did not inform anyone that she left the house.

"It's getting late, we should go." she said.

"OK. Come on, I'll take you home." he said.

Rodrigo and Helga walked the rest of the way home. It was freezing but luckily the winds were mild. Rodrigo insisted that he was going to walk her all the way to her house, despite her protest.

"Helga, I'm walking you home and that's that. You're still a bit tipsy and I just want to make sure you get home safely." he protested.

"My hero." she responded back sarcastically.

Pretty soon, they arrived at her house. After saying their goodbyes, Helga quietly unlocked the door, opened it, stepped inside and slowly closed the door. The door was quiet and dark, so she assumed everyone was asleep. Yet, no sooner had she closed the door and took off her boots when she heard a loud snore coming from the living room, nearly startling her.

"*loud snore* umm, uh, Olga?" it was Big Bob.

_Ugh, great. Why is he still up?_ She thought.

"It's just me Bob; Helga." she quietly called out to him as she started heading towards the stairs.

"Helga? Wait Helga, I need to talk to you." he called out to her somewhat quietly as he got up and turned on the living room lights.

"Whatever you have to say, you've already said it." she firmly replied back at him.

"Wait, that's what I want to talk to you about. Just hear me out, Helga." he said.

Helga frustratingly sighed, turned around to face him, crossed her arms and waited for him start talking.

"Look umm Helga. I'm no good at this, but I just wanted to say that I'm...sorry for what I said to you earlier." he admitted nervously.

Despite being a bit surprised by his apology, Helga remained reserved. "Go on."

"Look, Helga. What I said to you earlier, about you being like your mom and a failure; that's not true. You're not. You never were a failure. The reason why I said that to you was because...well...I was scared for you." he said while being nervous.

"Scared? What does the Beeper King have to be scared of?" she asked him.

Big Bob just sighed and said, "that night, when I came home late from work and I saw you on the couch sobbing, and when I went to hug you...I saw the razor blade."

Helga eyes went wide open. When she heard Big Bob come home that night, she attempted to hide the razor blade and thought he never saw it.

"Don't try to explain yourself to me, Helga. I know what you were trying to do, I'm not an idiot. I know you were trying to hurt yourself and I know it was because of Alfred leaving." he said.

"Arnold, Bob. It's Arnold." she corrected him.

"Right, um Arnold. Anyways, when I saw that blade, I got scared of what you might do. That's why I blew up on your mom earlier today. She is suppose to take care of you, but she can't until she sobers up. I know I should be here too, but being the only bread-winner, I have to make sure we have enough to live well. I'm also saving for your college tuition, which isn't cheap young lady, so I can only do so much." he explained.

"I never told your mom about what I saw because I don't want her to worry. I just want her to focus on kicking the bottle. Helga...when a parent sees his own child trying to hurt herself, it scares the living heck out of you! I'm not blaming you. I'm just saying that I overreacted earlier today because your mom relapsing again frustrated me because it delays in ensuring that you would have someone to be there for you. That, and seeing as how you've never really moved on with Arnold leaving, I said those things to try to get you to face the music and be that strong and independent girl again. I umm...hope I get to see her again. Anyways, I just want to say that I'm sorry." he said.

Helga was left completely speechless. In one of those rare moments, her own father showed that he actually cared about her. Helga instantly felt a warmth inside her as she looked at her own father, who had guilt all over his eyes. It felt...nice that he showed that cared about her. For a brief while, she no longer felt that she was alone in this house. Yet nevertheless, she had ambivalent feelings about accepting his apology. What he said to her hurt her a lot and she was still feeling the pain. Should she accept his apology or should she give him the cold shoulder, as he had always done to her? Is she a mirror image of him?

_I'm not like him; I'm better._ She thought.

"Umm, well...thanks Bob." she began say. "Apology accepted." she said reluctantly. "What about mom?" she asked him.

"Huh? Ya, I also said sorry to her for yelling at her like that." he grumbled quietly.

Big Bob then started walking towards her and awkwardly stretched out his arms.

"Umm...what are you doing?" she asked him with a confused look.

"What does it like I am doing? I'm trying to give my daughter a hug." he said.

"Oh, umm..." she said back as she attempted to hug her dad.

After a few seconds, they let each other go.

"Well, I should probably get to bed. I have a big day tomorrow. Good night, Helga." he said as he started walking up the stairs.

"Right. Night...dad." she replied back.

Big Bob stopped for a brief second as he heard her call him dad. It had been years since she last called him that. Then he started walking upstairs again. Helga followed suit soon after.

**Saturday Afternoon...**

_Yesterday I did something shameful, football head. I drank a bottle of my mom's rum or whiskey or whatever the hell it was, that I found in our bathroom. Why, do you ask? Big Bob said some hurtful things when I came home from school and I couldn't take it. It hit right below the belt so to feel better, I took a few sips. OK, it was more than a few sips, but I didn't get trashed, just drunk. Anyways, I went out to the movies and after it ended, I bumped into Rodrigo, to my embarrassment. Well, needless to say, Rodrigo and I had a good talk, despite that I was still a bit tipsy. I'm sure he will explain what we spoke about in his letter to you._

_Well, you can rest assured Arnoldo that I will not be drinking again anytime soon. I have this stupid and awful headache as proof that will deter me from trying something imbecilic like that again._

_As for Big Bob, he said something that I wouldn't believe he would have said to anyone; he apologized to me. Did I accept his apology? Yes, reluctantly. Don't get your hopes up football head. You know full well that my parents will revert back to their useful ways. This was only a hiccup. But it did feel good, even if it was only for a brief second._

_I'm going to end this letter a bit short today. My head is still pounding from last night's 'adventure' and I'm going to try to take a nap; I didn't sleep well last night._

_Your drunken buddy,_

_Helga G. Pataki._

* * *

**So I did not make Big Bob into the typical abusing father as in other HA! fan stories because by this point in time I thought that would be overkill. Plus, I think it would be 'worse' if this abusing cycle of neglect and caring would make things more dramatic and make Helga more frustrated, giving her continually false sense of hope. **


	17. Chapter 17 - Pre-Christmas Job

**Hi Everyone! Christmas is approaching so in this chapter, Rodrigo realizes he is short of funds to buy presents. He decides to get a temporary part-time job. Where do you think he will end up working? Hint: It is where the sunsets...**

* * *

Helga kept her promise and apologized to Gerald about the incident. Although she did not have high hopes for him forgiving her, she was surprised but glad when Gerald he accepted her apology and even shook hands. Yet despite that, Gerald made no mention of him wanting to reconcile. She did not hold it against him; she was just glad that he forgave her.

Both Rodrigo and Phoebe expressed their exasperation about Gerald's unwillingness to reconcile. They knew he was doing it more out of holding a grudge, than for actual reasons. However, Helga deterred them from saying anything to him. Her reason was the same as to why they were never able to reconcile in the first place; he would be doing it for other people's sake, not himself. To Helga, there was no point in forcing him to do something if he didn't have the will. As disappointing as it is, Helga convinced them it was best to just leave Gerald alone on this. Hopefully with time, he will want to reconcile.

**On a weekend at Rodrigo's house...**

Rodrigo was at home, checking his bank account to see how many funds he had. It was now December and Christmas was approaching. He had a list of presents that he needed to buy for friends and family, but he needed to make sure that he had enough money. To his dismay, he didn't, nowhere near enough. He decided to ask his father for some money, although he would not be surprised if he refused. Moving to Hillwood had been an expensive enterprise. Yet, it couldn't hurt to ask.

He went downstairs and to the living room, where his father was sitting on a sofa, calmly reading his newspaper while smoking his pipe.

"¿Papa, me puedes dar un poco de dinero? Tengo una lista de regalos que tengo que comprar por la navidad, pero no tengo suficiente en mi cuenta de banco." (Dad, can you give me some money? I made a list of present that I need to buy for Christmas, but I do not have enough in my bank account." he said to his father.

"Lo siento, Rodrigo. No tengo dinero para darte. Moviendo a Hillwood era bien costoso y necesitamos guardar. En el mismo tema, tu sabes que solamente te podemos dar un regalo por este navidad, no?" (I'm sorry, Rodrigo. I don't have money to give you. Moving to Hillwood was very costly and we need to save. On the same topic, you know that you will only be getting one present for Christmas, right?)

"OK. Gracias igual, papa." (OK, thanks anyways, dad.) Rodrigo responded back disappointingly.

"Mira hijo, tengo una idea. Si necesitas los fondos, por qué no consigues un trabajo, temporeramente? Yo estoy seguro que hay negocios que van a necesitar ayudar por la navidad." (Look son, I have an idea. If you really need the funds, why don't you get a temporary job? I'm sure there are businesses that are going to need help for Christmas.) His father suggested.

"Pues sí, puedo buscar." (Well ok, I can look for one.) He agreed.

"Si, pero mientras tu trabajo no se cruza con tus estudios. Me entiendes?" (OK, but only if your job does not get in the way with your studies. Do you understand me?) His father warned him.

"No te preocupes, papa. Eso no va ocurrir . Gracias" (Don't worry dad. That will not happen. Thanks) he confirmed.

Rodrigo began to immediately prepare and got out of his house to find a part-time job within the neighbourhood. He initially thought that getting a job would not be a problem. However, that soon proved to be harder than he originally thought.

Unfortunately, he went looking for one very late in the season. Most businesses had already hired the extra help that they needed and no longer had any vacant positions. He even tried going to Mr. Green's butcher shop and Ms. Viteli's flower shop. Even they no longer had vacant jobs.

Rodrigo was starting to lose hope as he continued walking around the neighbourhood. He went around a corner and continued walking; looking to see any businesses had a 'hiring' sign. There were none. This block only had residential apartment buildings. He was considering turning back and going the other direction, but decided to just walk a few blocks to see if there were any businesses. No sooner had he started walking when he stumbled upon an apartment on the right side that had a 'helped wanted' sign.

Delighted, he immediately went up the stool and knocked on the door, hoping there was still a vacant position. After three minutes, someone opened the door, but before he could see the person, a bunch of animals suddenly appeared and ran out, including a pig. Rodrigo was so startled that he almost lost his balance and fell from the stoop. Instead, he just barely able to swing his body around and just fall on the side.

"Whoa there young fella! Sorry about that. These animals have a knack of just leaving the house like that! How can I help you?" An old man said to Rodrigo with an almost high-pitched voice.

After the animals left, Rodrigo got up and addressed the old man that just opened the door.

"It's OK sir. My name is Rodrigo and I just saw that you have a 'help wanted' sign. I am here to see if you still have a vacant position." He said.

"Well yes, we still do! Come on in and we'll have a chit chat." Said the old man.

As Rodrigo walked inside, he quickly scanned the house. It looked more like an old cabin, but cozy. He could see that the apartment was old but had been sufficiently maintained. Both he and the old man walked towards the kitchen and sat down.

"Have a seat son. By the way, the name's Phil." He introduced himself as he shook Rodrigo's hand.

"Umm, Phil?" He asked uncomfortably.

"Yup. Why is there a problem?" he asked.

It was a problem for Rodrigo. Since he was little, his parents had drilled into his head to never, EVER address his elders by their first name. He was instructed to always properly address them by their last name with the usual Mr. and Mrs.

"Uh, no sir. It is just that I was raised to never address my elders with their first name." He confessed.

"No need for the formalities here, Rodrigo. People just call me Phil and that is how I like to be addressed." He said.

"OK, Phil." Rodrigo responded nervously.

"OK, to business. We are looking for someone to help us around this boarding house. We have three tenants who rent rooms here. So in total, there are six people that live here, my wife and me included. I'm assuming that you are still in school?"

Rodrigo nodded.

"Well, if you are able to swing by after school for a few days per week that would be great. We already have another helper here but unfortunately she is not able to work full-time. So we just need you to fill that gap." Phil explained.

"So what work would you like for me to do?" Rodrigo asked.

"Well mostly snow shoveling, helping me repair anything around the house. This old crate tends to need a few fixings here and there. Cleaning it and helping us prepare the meals for the tenants. Can you cook?"

"A little. I can't cook on my own, but I can easily follow any directions you gave me, so long as someone is there. And as for the rest of the responsibilities, I have no problem with doing any of that. I am a bit of a clean freak and I have helped my dad repair things around the house. What days during the week would you need me to come over?" Rodrigo asked.

"Well mostly Tuesdays and Thursdays. There may be some extra days when we might need you come. Would that be OK?" Phil asked.

"Ya, that's perfect for me. I can give my cell number so if you need me to come for an extra day, you can call me." Rodrigo confirmed.

Just then, one of the tenants came downstairs, entered the kitchen and interrupted their interview. He was a guy with a very small stature, but with a loud, almost obnoxious voice.

"Hey gramps, when is lunch ready? I'm starving over here." exclaimed the tenant.

"Dagnabbit Ernie! You know when lunch is, and I'm interviewing someone here!" exclaimed Phil.

"Sheesh! Sorry Phil." Said Ernie. He then looked at Rodrigo and said to him, "I hope the old man wasn't giving you any trouble."

"No sir, he wasn't. He was just explaining to me what responsibilities I will be doing if I am hired." Rodrigo confirmed.

"Sir? This isn't Buckingham Palace here. Call me Ernie." He said while he shook Rodrigo's hand.

_Again with the first names?!_ He thought.

"Nice to meet you Ernie. My name is Rodrigo." he said.

"Well Ernie, if you are done complaining, then can you perhaps give us some privacy? We're not finished." said Phil.

"Sure gramps." said Ernie.

However, before Ernie could live, another tenant entered the kitchen and asked Phil the same question, with his thick Vietnamese accent.

"Hey Phil, where's the food already?! I don't pay my rent to go hungry here."

Phil simply rubbed his forehead and eyes and the said to Rodrigo,

"You see why I need help Rodrigo? It is a circus here with these clowns."

Rodrigo simply giggled a bit. Although he was not used to this type of environment, he could tell it was a very relaxing house, with little formalities. He was starting to get a bit comfortable.

"You know when lunch is Hyunh." He responded to the second tenant. "Now could you please leave? I'm in the middle of hiring someone to help us out around this place."

"Oh forgive the intrusion. I'm Mr. Hyunh." He said to Rodrigo as he shook his hand.

"Please to meet you Mr Hyunh, my name is Rodrigo." He said with a smile.

"Oh finally, someone with some manners! Not like your other helper. You should hire him Phil." Hyunh suggested.

"Thanks for the advice Hyunh." Groaned Phil. But then he said to Rodrigo. "Well if you are going to work here, you might as well get acquainted with the boarders."

"Great, since he is here, I have a few questions for him." said Ernie. "I haven't seen you around here. You knew to the neighbourhood?"

"Yes, I just moved here last summer from Los Angeles. I go to Hillwood High school." Rodrigo responded.

"Oh so you're a Californian person?" Hyunh asked.

"Well I lived there most of my life, but I wasn't born in California. I'm from Latin America."

"Oh, which country?" asked Ernie.

Before Rodrigo could answer, everyone then heard a commotion from upstairs.

"Oskar seriously?! You bet our rent money again?!" exclaimed Susie.

"But Susie, hear me out. I thought for sure I was going to win, hehehe." Oskar attempted to explain.

"What's that?" Rodrigo asked.

"Susie and her good for nothing husband, Oskar Kokoshka." Ernie responded. "They will be down here soon."

"You stay aware from Oskar, Rodrigo. He is a thief!" exclaimed Hyunh.

"He's not a thief! Oskar is too lazy to steal. He just gambles a lot, Rodrigo." Phil said.

"No more of your pathetic excuses Oskar! I'm tired of it! I don't know how you are going to get the rent money back but you better get it before it is due!" the woman shouted at her husband.

The couple continued to argue while coming downstairs and walked to the kitchen.

"Don't worry Susie. I'll get the money. I just need money to bet on next week's horse race."

"No Oskar! You're going back to work to come up with the rent. Oh, Phil, sorry I didn't know you had a guest." said Susie as she saw Rodrigo.

"Rodrigo, meet Susie and Oskar Kokoshka." Phil said nonchalantly.

Rodrigo got up from his chair and walked towards the couple.

"Please to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Kokoshka."

"Oh what a pleasant young man. Forgive our arguments." said Susie with a smile.

"Good to meet you Rodrigo. Say do you like to play poker?" asked Oskar.

"Oskar!" Susie scoffed at him.

"What? I was just asking."

"No, sir, I don't gamble." Said Rodrigo.

"Sir, what am I old? Just call me Oskar." Said Oskar.

_Ugh, again?_ Thought Rodrigo.

"Yes, we're not really into the formalities. Call me Susie."

Rodrigo simply smiled and nodded.

"Well Rodrigo, you met everyone. What do you think? Would you like to work here?" Phil asked him.

"Yes, Sir, I mean umm Phil. I would like to work here. When would like for me to start?"

"Is this Tuesday OK?" Asked Phil.

"Yup. I'll be here right after school."

"Great, welcome aboard Rodrigo." said Phil as he shook Rodrigo's hand. "Pooki! I found another helper!"

_Who is Pooki?_ Rodrigo thought.

Just then, an old lady entered the kitchen.

"Hello there dear." said the old woman.

"Hello, ma'am, nice to meet you. My name is Rodrigo."

"Wonderful to meet you Rodrigo! I see you have already met the family. And please call me Gertie."

"Yes Gertie, I have. Everyone is very nice here." Rodrigo responded back politely.

"Wonderful! And what a sweet young you are. Oh you just remind me of my grandson, Kimba"

_Kimba? That sounds more like a dog's name._ Rodrigo thought weirdly.

"Yes, you're right Gertie! I knew he reminded me of someone." Exclaimed Susie.

Everyone else agreed.

_Well that's a good thing. Good to know that I made a good impression on them._ Rodrigo thought.

"Well he sounds like a nice person. Will I get a chance to meet him?" Rodrigo asked.

"Unfortunately no. He moved out some years ago with his parents. That's why we need some help around here. When he used to live here, he would good a chunk of the chores that you will be doing. Now with him gone and me getting old, getting help has become a necessity." said Phil with a said tone.

"Well I'll do the best I can to meet your expectations Phil." Rodrigo reassured him.

After some further small talks, Rodrigo then said his goodbyes and left the boarding house. He walked home happily that afternoon, thankful that he was able to find a part-time job on such short notice.

When Tuesday came, Rodrigo went straight to the boarding house, as he promised. Phil immediately set him to work on cleaning the house. When it came to cleaning, Rodrigo was very methodical. His first job was to clean one of the room that was vacant. It had not been cleaned for almost a year. After a few hours, Rodrigo made like nice and new, much to Phil's delight.

Every Tuesdays and Thursdays, Rodrigo continued to show up and performed many of the chores that their grandson used to do. Phil and Rodrigo had agreed on a minimum wage pay. This included when if Rodrigo had to stay late, they would provide him with dinner. With the boarders, although he was still a little apprehensive about calling his elders by their first names, he nevertheless felt comfortable around them. He found their eccentric behaviours to be not comical, but just funny, if not entertaining. There were occasions when they tested his patience, but Rodrigo managed to keep his cool. Other than that, he was mostly happy with his new job.

Rodrigo had asked if he can listen to some music while he worked, which Phil approved. Although he ensured the music would not be loud, the boarders were surprised to find his various tastes in music. It was not uncommon for Rodrigo to listen to classical music, followed by gangsta rap songs that contained a lot of profanities. Ernie, on one occasion, heard one of these rap songs, and exclaimed to everyone that the music had so much profanities, even he ended up learning new swear words.

"Sheesh, and I thought I had a dirty mouth." said Ernie.

Despite this, they found Rodrigo's presence to be a source of joy. On some occasions, Rodrigo would even ask Susie or Gertie to dance with him. Luckily, both women had some skill in dancing. It was not lost to the boarders that having Rodrigo here reminded them of the good old days and happy times when Arnold was around. It was nice experiencing this much energy and joy at the boarding house again.

Phil was pleased with Rodrigo's work ethic. He would always complete his chores before the hour. Sometimes when he was done early, he would stay and talk to Phil. Rodrigo found that, despite Phil's eccentric behaviour and forgetfulness, he still contained a lot of wisdom in him, which Rodrigo highly respected.

As he continued working there, Rodrigo couldn't help but be curious to know who this second helper was. She would only work on the days when Rodrigo was not working, so he never had the opportunity to see her. With the way the Phil and boarders describe her, she can be very helpful, but also be very direct and mean to them. Apparently this helper had little patience for the boarder's eccentric behaviour. They explicitly stated that they liked Rodrigo over her.

_Sheesh, she must be very mean to them if they like me better than her. But I can't blame her either. These boarders have a tendency to really test your patience sometimes. Even I told them that but they still prefer me to her._ He thought.

On one weekday, Rodrigo received a phone call from Phil. He asked Rodrigo if he was able to come by on a Saturday to help with the Christmas decorations. It was so much work, that even with boarders' help, Phil still required both helpers to be there.

"No problem Phil, I'll be there. What time?" Rodrigo asked.

"How's 2pm sound?" He asked.

"Sounds good. I'll be there at 2pm. Thanks" he confirmed.

**At the Boarding house on Saturday at 2pm...**

Rodrigo showed up at the boarding house on time. After making his greetings, Phil took him to the basement to collect some boxes that contained all the Christmas decorations.

"The other helper is upstairs, putting the decorations. You will decorate the main floor. After that, I think it's best if both of you decorate the Christmas tree; I don't trust the boarders with that responsibility." Phil instructed Rodrigo.

"Sure thing Phil."

After working on decorating the main floor, it was now time to decorate the tree. It was located close to the basement door. Rodrigo had put some boxes next to the tree, ready for the helper to start decorating it while he finished getting the last of the boxes.

Not wanting to go up and down twice, Rodrigo instructed Phil to put the last two boxes on top and he would carry them. It effectively blinded him from seeing anything ahead, but he was confident that he could do it. Besides, the boxes contained non breakable items.

As he was climbing up the stairs, Rodrigo knew where he wanted to put them. However unbeknownst to him, the helper had inadvertently put the ladder right at the spot where Rodrigo had wanted to go put the boxes. He climbed up the stairs, exited the basement and was heading right where the ladder was. The helper was on top of the ladder, busy putting the star on the top of the tree. Rodrigo was walking quietly, so she didn't hear him coming. Unable to see anything, Rodrigo walked right into the ladder, which startled him, and hit it right under the helper's feet, causing her to fall right on top of him. She pushed him right down to the ground, landing on his stomach, and hitting his shoulder on the wall. Her elbow hit him right in his face, busting his lip. All the decorations went flying and landed on top of him and her, covering his face.

After a few groans, the helper, now furious at almost getting hurt, immediately shoved all the decorations from Rodrigo's face, grabbed his shirt so as to take a good look at him before she pummelled him.

"Crimeny, bucko! Are you blind?! Why don't you watch where you are going...Rodrigo?!" Helga shouted at him with wide eyes.

Rodrigo was just as surprised to find that Helga was the other helper. However, due to the pain and the déjà vu, he merely responded back to her with a groan,

"Nice déjà vu to you too Helga."

"You almost killed me doofus!" She yelled at him.

"Not sure why you are complaining. You landed on my stomach, I hurt my shoulder, and you hit me with your elbow. I broke your fall, so you should be thanking me." He said nonchalantly with smirk on his face.

"What are you doing here?!" She asked with a raised voice.

"I needed money for this year's Christmas and I found that this boarding house was looking to hire someone. Phil interviewed and hired me. Did I mention that I am hurt?" He said jokingly.

Having heard the commotion, everyone ran toward the Christmas tree to see what happened.

"Is everyone OK? We heard a loud bang." Said Susie worryingly.

"Ya, I'm fine, Rodrigo here broke my fall." Said Helga as she got up without a fuss.

Rodrigo on the other hand, remained on the floor, visibly hurt. His stomach was seriously hurting and his shoulder was also hurt, having it hit the bone. The ladder, although not very big, hit his leg.

"Good to know that one of us is OK." Said Rodrigo.

"Helga, he's hurt. What did you do to him?" Ernie asked her accusingly.

"Me?! I didn't do anything. He was the one who walked right into me. I was on top of the ladder when he collided with it." She explained as she crossed her arms.

Seeing as how Helga was not going to help him, Rodrigo attempted get up on his own.

"Ya, it's true. I didn't see that Helga moved right at the spot where I wanted to put the boxes. They were covering my eyes so I didn't anything." He said.

"Are you Ok Rodrigo?" Hyunh asked him.

"Yes, I'll be fine Mr Hyunh. It's just my stomach. Helga landed right on top of it. I just need a few minutes rest." Rodrigo assured him.

"Just walk it off bucko, you'll be fine." She said at him. Despite being a little concerned about his injuries, Helga was still reeling from the fall. Had Rodrigo not been there to break her fall, she could have seriously hurt herself.

"Thanks for the medical advice Dr. Pataki." Rodrigo retorted back, as he walked away to sit on the couch.

"Wait, do you guys know each other?" Ernie asked her.

"Ya, we're friends. We go to the same high school" said Helga.

"Wow, what a coincidence!" Exclaimed Hyunh.

"Helga has friends?" Oskar commented.

"Oskar!" Susie scoffed at him as she reprimanded him by hitting him from behind his head.

"What? I'm only saying what everyone else is thinking, hehehe." Said Oskar.

Despite the rude comment, it was true that everyone was surprised to hear that Helga and Rodrigo were friends. Although they were not close to Helga, they knew from her behaviour and from Arnold that Helga is a difficult person to get close to. Arnold had told them that Helga's only friend was someone named Phoebe, which didn't surprise them.

"Well if he's your 'friend' Helga, perhaps you should go over there to see if he is OK." Ernie suggested to her.

Helga merely sighed in annoyance, rolled her eyes and then walked towards the living room where Rodrigo was sitting.

She found Rodrigo lying on the couch, with his arm covering his eyes. By this time the pain had subsided a bit, but he was now irritated about the accident. He heard Helga entering the living room and said to her,

"Helga, if you're here to continue to cuss me out for making you fall, I don't want to hear about it."

"Relax Latino boy. I came here to see how you are doing." She retorted back.

_You landed on my stomach and it is hurting; how the hell do you think I'm doing?!_ he cried out in his head.

Not wanting to get into any arguments, as always, Rodrigo got up and said,

"A bit better thanks. Nothing is broken, I just need a few minutes, and then I'll be up on my feet. Are you ok?"

"Ya, I am, thanks to you for breaking my fall." She said with a smirk.

"I hate you." he said her half jokingly.

Helga noticed that his lip was still bleeding. It was busted pretty bad. Rodrigo's stomach was hurting so much that he did not bother to grab a tissue to clean it. Helga went inside the living room and attempted to look for a tissue. Rodrigo meanwhile, lifted his jeans on his right leg to see if it was bruised. It was. The ladder fell on his leg with all its weight and Helga's, causing it to hurt and bruise. When Helga found some tissue, she grabbed it and sat down beside him. She then saw the bruise on his leg and asked,

"Do you bruise easily?" She asked.

"No I don't. The ladder hit my leg hard. It's not broken but it just hurts. I'll be fine." He said calmly.

Helga then began to feel guilty about his injuries. Her irritated face quickly disappeared, replacing it with a genuine but sad concern for him. Then suddenly, she grabbed a piece of tissue, got closer to him and proceeded to clean his lip.

"Here, your still bleeding." She said with a soft voice as she started wiping it.

"Umm, thanks Helga." Rodrigo said nervously.

Rodrigo was completely taken aback by Helga's sudden behavioural change. He had never seen her be this...nurturing. Despite the pain, he doesn't expect people to baby him. If anything, Rodrigo agreed with Helga's statement to just 'walk it off'. Yet here he was, having Helga attend to his wound. It was making him nervous, especially since she was sitting so close to him.

This change in Helga's behaviour was not lost to the boarders either, who were taking a peak from outside the living room entrance door. They were just as surprised as Rodrigo was to see Helga being so nurturing around him. If they had any doubts about her caring for Rodrigo, they were quickly brushed aside. They knew that Helga would not just do this for anyone. If she was attending Rodrigo's wound, then it must mean that she really cared for him.

The blood had dripped to all the way to his neck. Helga attentively cleaned the entire trail of blood, which was making Rodrigo even more nervous, as she was now rubbing down his neck. After a few wipes and pressing down on his wound, she smiled and then said,

"There, good as new. Well, almost."

"Thanks Helga." He said with a smile.

An awkward silence was starting to develop between the two teens. Then Rodrigo quickly asked,

"So I never asked you what you are doing here."

"Well unlike you, I'm not really here for the money. I have known Phil and Gertie for a long time so I help them out whenever I can." She explained.

"That's nice of you." said Rodrigo.

"Ya, I used to come here often when Arnold still lived here. His room is upstairs and we used to go up..." she continued to explain before Rodrigo cut her off.

"Wait, back up. Arnold? This used to be Arnold's home before he moved?" He asked.

"Well, ya. Didn't Phil or anyone tell you?" she asked with a confusing face.

"No! Gertie said that his name was Kimba, but other than that, no one has ever mentioned him."

Helga just laughed.

"Oh that, No. She was talking about Arnold. She is a little 'off'. She calls Arnold, Kimba and me Eleanor." She said with a smile.

_Son of a *****! You have got to be kidding me?! Where ever I go in this neighbourhood I hear his name. This guy is everywhere!_ He thought irritatingly.

"When I first came here, they told me that I reminded them of him." He commented nonchalantly.

"Ya, that doesn't surprise me." she said back with a smile.

"Sorry, you were saying about how you and Arnold used to up somewhere before I cut you off?" He said.

"Don't worry about it. I'll show it to you sometime. How are you feeling now?" She said to him.

"Better." he responded back. "Let's go decorate that tree." He said as he got up.

As the two teens decorated the tree, they continued conversing with each other. The Boarders listened attentively as they saw and heard a complete change in Helga's behaviour. She seemed more relaxed and less, angry. Even more surprisingly, they heard them joking around.

"You did not just call me fat, Latino boy!" Helga exclaimed jokingly at Rodrigo.

"I didn't call you fat. I just said that despite you being skinny, you're heavier than I thought you were when you fell on top of me. If I wanted to call you fat, I would have said so." he countered calmly. "Besides, what do you care if I think you're fat or not?"

"I don't. Besides, your fat stomach broke my fall." She said with a smirk.

"I don't have a fat stomach! I actually have abs!" Rodrigo countered.

As the boarders continued to listen in, Hyunh said,

"Wow, I have never seen Helga be so relax and joyful before."

"Ya, it's actually kind of scary." Said Oskar.

"No it's not Oskar. I think it is just adorable. Look at her, she seems...happy." said Susie while smiling

"Helga, adorable? Not the words I would have chosen." remarked Ernie.

Once they finished decorating the tree, just in the nick of time, Gertie called everyone for dinner.

"Well you two, thanks for helping out. Come on, let's go eat, you both earned it, especially you Rodrigo after your accident, hehehehe." Said Phil as he directed them to the dining room.

Once at the table, Oskar attempted to grab as many pieces of meatloaf as possible.

"Oskar, put those meatloafs back and wait for everyone to sit down!" Phil barked at him.

"Ah come on grandpa, I'm starving."

"What are you complaining? You haven't paid your rent yet. You're lucky you are getting anything at all tonight. And stop calling me grandpa!" He continued to bark at him.

Rodrigo would usually find this to be awkward, if not very uncomfortable. Yet for some reason, he actually found this to be funny. He had to try hard not to burst out laughing. Helga noticed this and asked him quietly,

"What's up with you?"

"I don't know but I just find Oskar funny." He whispered back.

"Good to know that at least you find him to be entertaining. He is the most annoying and lowest life boarder." She said.

Finally everyone sat down and began to eat. Tonight's dinner was meatloaf with vegetables and rice. It was quite a nice dinner, considering that Gertie would sometimes 'experiment' with different types of food, much to the boarder's annoyance.

After dinner, Gertie then served dessert. It was pie.

"Hmm this dinner was great tonight, thanks Gertie." said Ernie.

"And the dessert is delicious. What's in it?" Helga added and asked. She just finished eating her dessert.

"Why thank you dear! Just a little something, Eleanor. Mashed fruits such as apple, bananas, raspberries and strawberries."

The second Phil and Helga heard the word 'raspberries' and strawberries' respectively, they both immediately stopped eating. Knowing the usual routine, Phil merely swallowed his food, calmly got up and said to everyone,

"Well I'm off for tonight. Thanks Pooki for the 'dessert'. Night, everyone. Night Helga and Rodrigo. Remember Rodrigo, never eat raspberries!" He said as he started to rush to the toilet.

"Umm ok? Night Phil." Said Rodrigo with a confused face.

Helga meanwhile said nothing; she merely continued to look in abject horror at her dessert. Suddenly, she grabbed Rodrigo's hand and said,

"Rodrigo, I need to go to the hospital."

"Why? What's wrong?" He asked.

"I'm allergic to strawberries!" She shouted, as she started to panic.

**At the hospital...**

Rodrigo waited patiently outside as the doctor attended to Helga. He was very worried about her. It had been more than an hour since they arrived at the hospital.

The second Helga informed her about her allergy; he wasted no time and rushed her to the hospital. Because Phil was in the washroom, Susie suggested for Rodrigo to drive the old Packard. As he was driving above the speed limit, Rodrigo looked at Helga in horror as she started to break out in hives. She then started experiencing a shortness of breath. Thankfully, no police was around to stop them and they got to the hospital pretty fast. Helga was immediately admitted to the emergency room.

After a few more minutes, a nurse came out to look for Rodrigo.

"Rodrigo Castile?" she asked him.

"Yes, that's me. How is she?" he asked the nurse worryingly.

"She experienced a major allergic reaction, but she will be fine. We gave her some medications. You can go inside, if you wish to see her."

"Thank you." he responded back, feeling relieved.

He walked inside and saw Helga lying on a hospital bed, close to the corner of the room, pouting. He walked towards her and said,

"Hey. How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Well apart from that fact that the old female geezer nearly killed me, just itchy from the hives." She responded back.

"Did the nurse say how long you have to stay here before they can let you go?" He asked.

"Just another hour or two, then I'm free to get out of this dump." She responded. "You don't have to stay here. I'm fine, you can go home. I'm sure your parents are worried where you are."

"I called them while I was waiting and told them what happened. I have to take you home. I'm not going to let you walk home this late. Besides, I just want to make sure you are OK." He said.

Getting a little exasperated, Helga countered back. "Rodrigo, I'm fine, really. I'm a big girl I can take care of myself..."

"Helga!" Rodrigo shouted, cutting her off. "I'm not going anywhere! I just...need to make sure you are alright. You may not think that this is a big deal, but it is for me. I almost lost a friend today, so just let me have this peace of mind, ok?"

Helga was startled by Rodrigo's strict but worrisome tone in his tone. She saw in his eyes the fear that he just experienced. She couldn't see what Rodrigo saw when he was driving her to the hospital. From his perspective, it looked like Helga was dying. She was breathing heavily, staring right into space, not focusing on anything. A few times, it looked like she in and out of consciousness. Although Rodrigo does not have any allergic reactions, he knew full well that this can kill people in a matter of minutes and he had no idea how tolerable Helga's body was to the fruit. She relented, but still retaining her tough exterior, said,

"Fine, whatever floats your boat."

10 minutes past and neither spoke to each other. It was getting awkward again, at least for her. Rodrigo didn't mind. He simply just sat on his chair, staring toward the ceiling. He wasn't expecting to have a full blown conversation with her. He was just happy being by her side, ensuring she was ok. After another 5 minutes past, Helga finally spoke.

"Thanks by the way, for driving me here."

"You're welcome." He said back.

"This isn't the first time I was brought here." She added.

Rodrigo was not surprised that she experienced hives before. Deciding to humor her, he then asked her,

"Oh ya? When was the last time you broke out like that?"

"Back in the 6th grade. Stupid Arnold drank a strawberry milkshake from the school cafeteria. After he finished he went to find me and gave me a kiss on the lips, without knowing that I was allergic to strawberries. The second I started breaking out, he immediately took me to the nurse's office, who called an ambulance to take me here. Thankfully, it wasn't serious." She said.

"Was it worth it?" he asked her with a smile on his face.

Helga simply smiled back and said, "Ya, it was."

"Poor football head. He was so scared when he saw my hives. The scariest part was not my hives, but how scared he was. I saw it in his face, he was almost panicking. He blamed himself terribly for what he did to me." She continued.

She then became a bit sad, as she remembered the memories.

"I hope you weren't hard on him." Rodrigo said, trying to lighten the mood.

"No, I wasn't. I didn't blame him. It wasn't his fault. I just gave him another kiss, reassuring him that I wasn't angry with him and for his guilt to go away." She said with a smile.

"I'm sorry I scared you." She continued.

"It's OK, it wasn't your fault. I just got...very worried." he said.

Suddenly, Helga extended her hand towards Rodrigo. As he saw her do this, he knew that she wasn't doing it so she can shake his hand; she wanted to hold it. For a split second, he hesitated to extend his hand. He wasn't sure where she was going with this, but then decided to reciprocate. He smiled back and held her hand.

After some time, the doctor abruptly came to see Helga, startling Rodrigo to jerk his hand away from Helga's.

"Ok, Ms. Pataki, let me just quickly take a look at your vital signs." Said the doctor.

After a quick inspection at looking at the machines and Helga's face, he then said, "Well everything checks out Ms. Pataki. You are free to go."

"Great, thanks doc." said Helga.

"I would strongly suggest you be more careful with your allergic reaction, Ms. Pataki. You are lucky that you came here just in time. You were experiencing a serious reaction." The doctor warned.

"Was it life threatening?" Rodrigo asked.

"thankfully no, but it was serious. There's no way of telling on how the body is able to cope. There are some instances when it is able to take a lot, but in other times, just one little reaction can be enough to end things." He said.

"Thanks doc, I'll be more careful next time." said Helga, still feeling confident.

He then took out all the wires and tubes that were attached to her. Once that was done, both teens left the hospital.

Rodrigo was a little shaken up by the doctor's revelation. Yet nevertheless, he was just glad that Helga is alright now and did not bother ponder about it.

As he was driving both of them home, Helga was being unusually quiet. Worse, she was staring out into space. Rodrigo suspected that she was probably thinking about what the doctor had said.

"Are you ok?" he asked her.

"Ya, just a little shaken up by what the doctor said." She said.

"Ya, me too. But it didn't happen." He said.

After a bit of silence, Helga then said,

"If you're thinking that I'm angry at Gertie, I'm not." She said.

"I was hoping you wouldn't be." He answered.

"No one other than Arnold knew about my allergic reaction to strawberries. It just never came up. Besides, that woman has done so much for me, that this is not something that I'm going to allow to ruin my relationship with her. She has been more of a mom to me than my own mother." She said firmly.

Rodrigo said nothing, but he was glad that she wasn't angry at Gertie.

When they arrived back, it was almost 11pm. Both Rodrigo and Helga went inside the boarding house to assure with everyone that she is ok, to everyone's relief. Helga had a private discussion with Gertie, who was wrecked with guilt over the incident. No one was sure what she said to her, but after they came out, Gertie felt a lot better.

After saying their goodbyes, both teens walked home. Rodrigo was insistent on walking with Helga all the way to her house.

"Crimeny, haven't you done enough hero work for one day? You broke my fall; you took me to the hospital on time. You can take a break superman." She said to him.

"Thanks for the confidence Helga, but I'm just here because it's a nice evening out and I just wanted to go for a walk with you." he said with a smile.

Helga just rolled her eyes and continued walking with him, not believing what he just said.

Once they arrived at her house, she said,

"There, I'm home, I'm safe, now will you please stop worrying about me?"

"Sure" he said with a smirk. "Night, Helga."

He waited for her to go inside the house. As she started climbing up the stoop, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and then went towards Rodrigo to give him a big hug.

"Thanks" she said.

Rodrigo said nothing and only hugged her back. Soon, they let go and Helga went inside her house. Rodrigo then went home.

**The next morning...**

_Your grandmother almost killed me football head!_ Helga started write, but hesitated to continue. She then crumbled the piece of paper, threw it to the garbage, then grabbed another piece of paper and started writing again.

_Had a small incident at the boarding last night, football head. I was given pie that had strawberries...and I broke out in hives. Rodrigo was there and thankfully he quickly drove me to the hospital. Doctor said it was not life-threatening, but it was serious. Don't be upset about it, your grandmother didn't know about my allergy and she already feels bad about it. I had to talk to her in private to reassure her that this will not affect our relationship. She has been there for me when my own parents were not._

_I'm sure you are now asking, 'why was Rodrigo at the boarding house?' By sheer coincidence, he was looking to find a part-time job and he happened to come across your grandfather's 'help wanted' sign. I don't know if it was coincidental or the will of the Gods that brought him there, but everyone seems to be happy with him. He is a hard worker and even Phil said that he does his job almost as good as you did yours. I won't get a chance to see him much there, as he is scheduled to work on days when I'm not there. But I'm hoping I'll get a chance to bump into him._

_Hope you are not getting jealous now Arnoldo, hahaha. I never did picture you as the jealous type, although I do remember the time back in the 4__th__ grade, when your cousin Arnie came to visit you and Lila took a liking to him. Man, you should have seen your face, you were pissed! But after that, you never showed signs of jealousy, not even with me. I guess I never gave you a reason to be jealous. Don't worry; no one can ever replace you, no one. I mean, literally no one. Who else has your football shaped head, but you?_

_We haven't heard from you in a while. I hope everything is ok with your latest specimen collection spree. Remember what your grandfather always says: never eat strawberries!_

_Yours truly,_

_Helga G. Pataki_


	18. Chapter 18 - A Slapping Merry Christmas

**Hi everyone! It is now Christmas and everyone is going to enjoy the Holidays, right? Well, not Helga. So what does Rodrigo do for her?**

* * *

Despite not being a procrastinator, Rodrigo had to run to every last shop at the Hillwood Mall Complex to buy every single present that he needed. He had just gathered enough savings to do so, thanks to him working at the Sunset Arms boarding house. He just barely got everything on his list. Rodrigo hated shopping, but he had no choice in the matter. Having to move to a new city and make new friends were the priorities of his time during the first months since school started. Also, having used even more of his time to become friends with Helga didn't help, but he didn't blame her.

"Phew! I need a break. God, I hate shopping. What do women see in this? It's like a sport to them. No worse, like a religion!" Rodrigo said to himself.

It is rare to find a woman who despises shopping. The majority of them love it. Yet, nevertheless, he was just thankful that he got everything he needed. After a short break, he got up, hopped on the bus and went home.

**At the boarding house...**

On this rare occasion, Rodrigo and Helga were both asked to work on a few things together. Phil and Gertie also wanted to have them over for dinner as part of their Christmas dinner. The holiday was still a few days away, but they knew that the teens will be busy with their own families and with their friends during the holidays.

After enjoying a nice meal, while also ensuring that none of it had any strawberries, Helga asked Rodrigo if he was able to stay a bit longer tonight.

"Ya, sure. What's up?" he asked her.

"I want to show you something." she said.

She had previously asked Phil if it was alright for her and Rodrigo to go to Arnold's room, which he approved.

They both went upstairs, Helga grabbed the handle that allowed a ladder to slide down from the roof and both teens went up to Arnold's old bedroom.

Since his departure, Phil and Gertie ensured that the room would remain the same as it was before.

After climbing the stairs, Helga opened the door and allowed Rodrigo go inside and to take a scan around the room. He was amazed at all the electronic gadgets this kid had!

"Oh man, would I have killed to have his room!" Rodrigo exclaimed. "Look at all this stuff! What kid would not want this?!"

Helga said nothing and just smiled as she sat on Arnold's bed. There was only thing that she ever wanted and it was no longer in this room.

As Rodrigo scanned the room, he saw a picture of Arnold and Helga hugging each other. He walked towards it, picked it up and looked at it. He smiled when he saw how happy they were.

_Hehe, Helga is actually smiling in this picture; it's a beautiful smile. She was happy back then. I'm sorry I'm not able to help her with that. And Arnold, well he is OK, but I think I'm cuter than him._ He thought to himself amusingly.

As Rodrigo continued to look at the photo, Helga looked on with a bit of surprise and perplexing look on her face. She couldn't understand why Rodrigo was focusing so much at the photo. Even more, she saw that his thumb started gently rubbing it, especially where Helga was in the photo, almost as if he was caressing it.

_I wonder what he is thinking about_. She thought to herself.

After a short time, Helga instructed him to follow her, as both went up a ladder that was attached to the wall. Helga unlocked the window, then went outside with Rodrigo. The building was not very tall, but you can see the skyline far and wide. It was in the early evening so the sun was setting, projecting a beautiful combination of yellow, red and orange colours into the sky.

"Whoa" said Rodrigo.

"I know. Do you like it?" she asked him.

"Very much. It's beautiful. Thanks Helga for showing me this." he said.

Despite it being winter, there was no breeze on that day, and despite the sun being out, on their end, it was cloudy and snowing, allowing a small amount of heat to develop. This allowed both teens to stay on top of the rooftop for a while and talk.

"Did you guys both used to come here?" he asked.

"Ya, we did. We used to watch the sunset and sometimes the sunrise. It was also a good place to reconcile after our arguments. It was just...peaceful being here." she explained.

Rodrigo couldn't help wonder why Helga showed her this place. It had a lot of memories so he figured this was not something she wanted to share with anyone. However, he decided not to ask about it and just be grateful that she was opening up.

"I see why this would be a nice place to be at peace and to reconcile. What argument did you guys get into, if you don't mind me asking?" Rodrigo asked.

"Initially it was just dumb things, such as where did we want to spend our weekend at, or what sport should we play. Nothing serious. But as we got older, the arguments became more about our personalities clashing. I had a big mouth back then and I would use my sharp tongue at just about anything. If you thought I am bad now, I was worse when I was younger. Arnold was the only person that was able to not only get me to calm down, but to also have the patience to deal with it." she recounted.

"You keep saying that you did this or that. But what did Arnold do, or not do, that would get you upset?" he asked.

"There were times when he just couldn't really see how I saw things, no matter how many times I would explain it to him. As much as we admired his optimism, it sometimes just got in the way with reality. And it is not just me saying this; Gerald had also told him several times that he is a dreamer. Yet, he was often right about how things would turn out, which is why despite how annoying it sometimes was, we trusted his optimism. But that did not mean that he was always right. There were times when I was right and there were times when Arnold had no choice but to allow me to lead the group, especially when it came to sports." she explained proudly.

"It wasn't really anyone's fault. We were just at the extreme end of things. I am skeptical and realistic, while Arnold is an optimist and idealist. I am aggressive and direct, he is nurturing and diplomatic." she continued.

"If I may continue to ask, what did you guys have in common?" Rodrigo asked.

"We both cared for our friends, we both like to play sports, we both like the same type of movies and even the same music, mostly. We also didn't mind learning some of our area of interest with each other. He liked it when I would read to him some poetry and literature, and I would like it when he would explain to me some scientific or technological inquiries. Despite the differences, on many levels we connected." she explained.

It soon dawned on Rodrigo that Arnold and Helga were more than just a mere couple. Based on how Helga described each other, and given his knowledge of Arnold and her, they were made for each other. If he had to philosophically describe them, it would be Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel's concept of the Synthesis. When two opposing views, a thesis and an antithesis, meet, they would converge to make something new, a synthesis. Hegel's concept would be used to explain history, ideas, religion, the concept of time and much more. Yet for this discussion, it was obvious to Rodrigo that Arnold and Helga were just that, the thesis and antithesis. The problem was that they never had the opportunity to fully become the synthesis. Arnold's departure interrupted that process.

This did not make Rodrigo feel any better. Worse, it was making him feel even more bad for Helga. She not only lost the one thing that made her happy in this world, but if she decides to moves on, Rodrigo doubted she would ever find someone who was a perfect match for her as Arnold. Her love for him wasn't a mere coincidence; it was spot on. Yet, he did not say anything about this to her. He didn't have to, she already knew this. With each passing time he spends time with her, he got a better understanding on why she was always so angry. She had every right to be! He just wished he could do more, do something to help alleviate this burden.

Instead of saying anything, Rodrigo just gave Helga a small nudge on her shoulder and smiled. Helga smiled back. Then, wanting to change the subject, he then asked her,

"So what are your plans for Christmas?"

Helga almost wished he didn't ask her that.

"Try to get through the Christmas day in my room, hoping to not see my family during the day." she said.

"Why not? Don't you guys at least get together to talk?" he asked.

"Oh we do get together and we do talk, except me. My dad is mostly the person that talks and everyone just listens. The times when I try to say something, I get interrupted. My mom just tries not to drown in the soup and my sister pretends that everything is just perfect." she responded back with a frowning face.

_That's terrible! She doesn't even want to spend time at her house with her own family! This is sickening!_ He thought angrily.

Hoping that perhaps his surprise will make things better, he then reached into his coat, took out a small gift and gave it to her.

"I got you something for Christmas. Hoping it will make things a bit better at home." he said sheepishly.

Helga was surprised by his gift. She wasn't expecting to receive any present from him.

"Uh...thanks Rodrigo." she said.

"You can open it if you want." he suggested to her.

not hesitating, she opened it and inside was a small, leather notebook with lined paper, perfect for writing stories, poems or even making a journal out of it. In addition, there also was an antique fountain pen for her to write and it was in pink!

Helga just continued to stay still, motionless, with her mouth opened.

"You're lucky its winter, otherwise a fly would go into your mouth." Rodrigo said jokingly.

"Uh, I can't take this Latino boy, it's too much. I don't deserve it." She said as she attempted to hand it back to him.

"It's not. I know what you are thinking Helga and don't think that way. I know our friendship has had our ups and down and yes it has been stressful, but despite all of that, I am still glad that I met you and I don't regret it. You helped me when I needed someone to be there, and I know I can count on you when I need someone again. Even the ups and downs, honestly that has only cemented our friendship even more. Even moving here, being friends with you has helped me with the transition. I left all of my friends behind. I had no one here, save for a few people that I occasionally talk to. Had I never met you, I wouldn't not have had the friends that I have now. And don't think that I am taking for granted how you managed to open up to me. That took a lot of guts and I know you were scared, but I am really thankful and privileged that you did it." he explained.

Seeing that Helga was still hesitating in accepting his gift, he then added,

"If you still think that you don't deserve it, then earn it."

"But I didn't give you a gift." she argued.

"Pfft, I don't need a gift. My parents are always struggling to give me something. I don't need presents or anything material. I got everything that I ever wanted; family, friends and you. I'm healthy, I don't starve. I don't need anything else." he said.

Helga was still shocked, but she eventually relented and accepted it. She put the present inside her coat.

"Thank you" she said softly.

"You're welcome." he said back with a smile.

By now, the weather was getting colder. The two teens decided to call it a night, then headed back inside. After saying their goodbyes, they then started walking back home.

**At Rodrigo's house...**

As soon as he entered his house, Rodrigo's father was waiting for him to hand him something.

"Hola hijo, tienes un correo. De San Lorenzo?" (Hi son, you have mail. From San Lorenzo?)

his father gave him the mail.

"Gracias papa. Si, mis amigo tiene un amigo que se mudo allí, recientemente. Quería comunicarse con mijo y lo di mi dirección." (Thanks dad. Yes, my friends have a friend who just recently moved there. He wanted to contact me, so I gave him my address.) he explained.

"Ok ¿Como se llama esta amigo?" (Ok. What is this friend's name?) his father asked him.

"Arnold Shortman. Todos dicen que es un buen niño; sus amigos, su enamorada, hasta sus abuelos." (Arnold shortman. Everyone says that he is a good boy; his friends, his girlfriend, even his grandparents.) he responded back.

"Ok, está bien." (OK, good) his father said, as he started walking back to his chair, satisfied with his son's response.

Rodrigo then went upstairs into his room, opened the mail and started reading the letter.

_Dear Rodrigo,_

_I hope this letter made it in time for the holidays. It is nice to finally write to you. I'm sure you already know who I am, but just to introduce myself, my name is Arnold Shortman. Our friends have written so many things about you that I decided, at least for the coming holidays, to write to you. I would also like to welcome you to the group. _

_My understanding is that your recently arrived to Hillwood from Los Angeles, welcome! I hope the moving was not too hard. My family and I are constantly moving, so I should know how stressful it can be. If you are not already familiar with our neighbourhood and the city, you will find it to have a whole variety of things to do; from diverse cultural restaurants to an entertaining night life. If you are into jazz, there are a few areas around the city where you can go and hear some of the best music they can offer. I'm sure Gerald or Helga can direct you on where they are. I would recommend you try out Slausen's Ice Cream parlor. They have some of the best ice cream in the city._

_I was told you are an impeccable dancer and that you have had a few performances with Helga at school. I really wish I was there to see it. I do hope that whenever I get a chance to visit everyone, you can perhaps give me a few pointers. I would love to learn some of the Latin dances._

_By now, I'm sure you are already acquainted with everyone in our group. We are a diverse bunch, which is one our strengths, if you can believe that. Our differences have always allowed us to come up with some of the most adventurous, and most fun things to do when we were growing up. I'm sure your arrival will no doubt bring more fun to our group. Naturally, we do tend to butt heads sometimes, but we have never allowed our differences to get in the way with our friendships. _

_On a personal note, I would like to thank you for what you have been doing for Helga. She means a lot of me and I know it hit her the hardest when I left. Our friends have been telling me that since you guys became friends, there have been some good changes with her. I'm really glad to hear that. I was also told that it wasn't an easy thing for you, but I'm sure you know by now why that was. Despite the difficulties, once she opens up I know you will see her as I do._

_I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas, Rodrigo._

_Yours truly,_

_Arnold Shortman_

Rodrigo put down the letter on his desk, not really knowing how to feel about this. On the one hand, he thought it was a nice gesture on Arnold's part to write him a letter for the holidays and to say hi. He didn't have to do it. Yet on the other hand, he found this whole 'nice' thing to be suspicious. Despite how highly everyone thought of him, Rodrigo was not particularly impressed with Arnold. It wasn't anything personal. Rarely does anyone impress Rodrigo. Only a handful of people have ever made any good or deep impression on him. He thought that Arnold's whole optimistic and nice attitude was a bit too much in general. As far as he was concerned, he felt that Arnold was trying too hard to be nice and that, he found suspicious; it is as if Arnold was hiding something, something painful. If this was true, then he didn't find his behavior to be any different than Helga's.

Unlike everyone else, Rodrigo does not place anyone up high on a pedestal and Arnold was no exception. Despite how much he has done for everyone, Rodrigo considered him nothing more than a teenager who has both good intentions and flaws, like him. He felt that putting Arnold up on this pedestal blinded their friends from knowing his whole personality; his strengths and weaknesses. He knew that Helga was one of those people that did that, but she took it to a whole new level, a circumstance that was out of her control. And if this happened, he didn't trust their judgment.

More so, cracking this 'fantasy' of putting people or objects up on a pedestal was his specialty. But this is also what had often gotten him into trouble, with people often holding serious grudges against him, so much so, that they would often ostracize him as a result. That is the last thing he wanted to do, especially with Helga.

Yet, despite his apprehension, Rodrigo had every intention on writing him back. He will just have to think about what to write him back about.

**Christmas Day…**

Rodrigo helped clean up the house and helped his mom with the cooking throughout the late morning and early afternoon. Christmas was always his favorite holiday. It was the one time of the year where he would gather with all of his family and celebrate with a big feast.

However this year, it was a bit quiet, to say the least. It was just the four of them sitting down to have Christmas dinner. His parents had been preoccupied with their new jobs and with the moving, that they had not had the time to meet friends. His father especially, being more introverted than him, had a more difficult time in meeting people. Not that he minded it. He always had few friends and even that, he always preferred to be on his own. Rodrigo, to some extent, had that personality trait, but seeing as how he grew up in a big family, this year's Christmas was a very cultural shock to him, and he was not happy about it. He felt isolated and alone. Yet, he tried to make the best of it. His friends all agreed to meet up sometime after December 25, so that made things a bit better.

**Christmas at the Pataki house…**

Helga spend most of her time in her room, writing. She tried to avoid coming down as much as she could, not looking forward to spending Christmas with her family. It was the usual routine; Big Bob would rant about his success and the money he has been earning, while Miriam and Olga sit quietly listening to him, hardly ever getting a word out. There would be food on the table, only thanks to Olga coming to visit them for Christmas. Had it not been for her, they would have either starved or would have had to order takeout food. Helga shivered at those old, terrible thoughts. She only came down once to help Olga with the cooking.

Despite the talk that they had back in September, things did not improve much between the sisters. There were times when Olga was tolerable, but on most occasions, Helga still found her to be annoying and attempted to avoid her whenever she could. The only positive outcome was that Olga had been making more of an attempt to listen to Helga and to help her with some of her problems, but other than that, it was mostly the same.

When it came time to sit down for Christmas dinner, the result was predictable. The only comfort Helga got was the delicious food that Olga cooked up, so much so that she even thanked her for it, much to her sister's delight.

"So the new investor came by and offered me a good deal, but it wasn't enough. I told him that he either double up his investment or he can shove it where the sun don't shine! Naturally, he doubled up his offer and I took it. Ha! What a loser!" Big Bob exclaimed proudly.

"So now, with this new investment, I have been thinking of expending my business and opening up another store, possibly somewhere downtown. Sales have been through the roof and I haven't been able to meet the demand with just one store." He continued.

"Ooohhh, that's great daddy! Congratulations!" Olga exclaimed happily.

As Big Bob continued to ramble, Helga sat quietly, eating her food. She was actually interested in getting to know Miriam's process at the AA meetings. Last month she had a small relapse but thankfully, she managed to get herself back on track with her rehabilitation pretty quickly. Miriam had wanted to speak to her family about her progress and was patiently waiting for her husband to finish his talk. Good luck.

When it finally seemed that Big Bob was finished, Helga attempted to say something.

"Well, I recently started writing again. One of my friends…" she began to say but was abruptly cut off by Big Bob.

"Ya, ya, sounds great Olga. So anyways, this other investor also came to me a few months back…"

Helga just sighed in utter disappointment.

_Why do I even bother?_ She thought.

Just then, Olga cleared her throat at Bob, indicating to get him to stop talking and let Helga speak for once.

*sigh* "Fine, what did you want to say Olga, I mean Helga?" He asked Helga with no enthusiasm in his voice.

"Nothing, nothing important. You were saying Bob?" She responded back with no enthusiasm from her part.

Big Bob wasted no time in continuing his talking again, much to Olga's disappointment. She gave Helga an 'I'm sorry' facial expression. Helga simply shrugged her shoulders and continued eating.

Despite Olga's nice gesture, Helga felt it to be utterly pointless if Big Bob only asked her about her day solely on being forced to, not because he was genuinely interested in what she had to say.

After dinner, the family then sat down on the living room. Miriam finally managed to tell the family how she managed to get back to her rehabilitation program after that small relapse. Naturally, she thanked Olga for helping her, but made no mention of Helga, not even as a source of inspiration or for standing up for her in front of Big Bob last month.

Once this whole charade was finally over, Helga went back to her room, much to her relief. It was a little pass 6pm. Seeing as how it was still early, she started to text Phoebe and Rodrigo. Phoebe was still busy with her dinner and so she did not respond, but Rodrigo did.

**Helga: Hey, how is your Christmas?**

**Rodrigo: It's ok, how was yours?**

**Helga: Torturous. Missing the whole big happy family scene?**

**Rodrigo: I'm sorry to hear that, and ya pretty much.**

**Helga: Ya, same here…**

**Rodrigo: What are you doing now?**

**Helga: in my room, just going to write and maybe sleep early.**

**Rodrigo: Want to meet up for a few?**

**Helga: Right now?**

**Rodrigo: ya.**

**Helga: sure…**

Helga immediately got up from her bed, dressed up and went out, not bothering to even inform her family that she was leaving.

She and Rodrigo met up half way from each other's house. Helga suggested going to the nearby park and going for a walk. The weather was again nice to go for a walk. It was snowing quietly with no breeze coming about. It was just …peaceful. As the teens made their way to the park, they both spoke about their Christmas dinner.

Rodrigo had a nice Christmas dinner, but he felt utterly alone. Being only four people, the quietness around his house was nerve wrecking for him; a constant reminder of what he lost. Even the Christmas he had back in LA was better than this one. At least back there, they had friends and sometimes they would gather at one of their houses to celebrate. This year it just felt, different.

"It's just something to get used to." He concluded.

"Sounds sad really." Said Helga. "You must really miss your family if you feel that way."

"Ya, I do." he said. "After I told my family about my atheism, they didn't want us to go down there for the holidays. That infuriated my parents. It was one thing to call them 'bad parents', but it was another thing to completely outcast us like that. No one had expected them to do this. I remember them arguing and yelling at my extended family over the phone about this. In the end, they also cut them off. Other than a few family members, we haven't spoken to them really."

"You really never saw that coming, did you?" she asked.

"Nope. Had I known it was going to go down this path, I would have kept my mouth shut. Yet, at the same time, I'm also glad that I did because it just goes to show you what kind of people they really are. I'm more disappointed in actually believing they were good people, than in being outcasted like that." he explained.

As they continued walking, they eventually reached the park and sat down on a bench. For a moment, they sat down quietly, enjoying the scenery of the entire park covered in snow. It looked like a giant, icy garden, radiating its sparkleness throughout the entire park. It continued snowing, but with still no breeze coming, it was absolutely quiet and peaceful.

After a moment of further silence, Rodrigo noticed that the ground was somewhat deep in snow. Feeling encouraged, he got up, lied down on the snow and started making a snow angel.

"What are you doing?" she asked him.

"What does like look I'm doing?" He rhetorically asked her.

"Looks like your drowning in snow and you need help." She said with a smirk on her face.

"Funny. Come down and make one. It's not like you have doing anything else on that bench." he challenged her.

taking the challenge, she got up, lied down next to him and started to make her own snow angel.

"This is very childish." she commented.

"Duh, that's the point. As mature as you are, you are still a kid. Just enjoy it." he said.

After a while, they both stopped and continued lying on the ground, looking straight up at the sky. It was still cloudy, but now dark. The only light were the snow that that coming down.

"You guys never used to do this when you were kids?" he asked Helga.

"All the time. I was just remembering those days." She said with a smile.

"Happy ones?"

"Ya, they were." She responded back. "Thanks for bringing me out here. It was nice."

"No problem. We should have a snowball fight with everyone when we meet up with them." Rodrigo suggested.

"Sure. I'll kill you in that game." she said.

"Oh we'll see about that." he said back.

As the minutes were passing by, both teens said nothing to each other. They just looked at the black sky and admired the snow coming down. With the calmness around them, Rodrigo was starting to get a bit sleepy, yet he reframed from saying anything because Helga seemed to be enjoying this; she was completely quiet and even sighed a few times. After a few more minutes, Rodrigo thought it was best if they started heading home. However just then, Helga suddenly turn towards him, moved in closer to him, put her arm on top of his chest and snuggled with him a bit.

Rodrigo was completely taken aback and dare not move. He was busy registering what Helga just did and did not know how to respond. He figured Helga just got too comfortable and wasn't really doing it intentionally. Despite his discomfort, he decided to let Helga enjoy this for a moment; she just seemed really peaceful.

After five minutes, as snow continued to come down, it starting to cover the two teens over a sheet of snow. Rodrigo was about to say something when he heard a very faint snore from Helga's direction. She had fallen asleep!

_Wow, this is making me really nervous right now! Did she do this on purpose, or was just an automatic response? Does she even remember who she was hanging out with?_ He thought.

He wasn't sure why this was making him nervous. He had other intimate encounters with other girls before, so why was he nervous with Helga simply because she snuggled besides him, sleeping? Whatever the reason, it was making his heart start beating fast and hands becoming sweaty. He wanted to move, but he also didn't want to wake her up, afraid she would freak out. At the same time he didn't want her to move away. Despite his nervousness, he felt drawn to her and also wanted to snuggle closer to her. It just felt...really nice.

_I guess maybe that's why this is making me nervous; unlike the other times, I don't know what to make of this. I don't know what this means, so I guess it's not surprising that I'm freaking out a bit._ He reassuringly thought to himself.

Finally, after another ten minutes, Rodrigo had to wake her up. The snow was still coming down and they were both almost covered by it. He lifted up his head, then gently started shaking Helga.

"Hey Helga? Wake up. It's time to go home." he said softly.

"hhmm?" she somewhat hummed.

As she started to open her eyes and gain consciousness, she lifted up her head up and she realized with horror, what had just happened. She jaw dropped and her eyes quickly widen. Without even thinking about it, out of pure instinct, she violently launched herself away from Rodrigo and slapped him across his face, hard, knocking him right back down to the ground.

"Whoa whoa whoa buster?! What do you think you are doing?!" She instinctively yelled at him.

"Ow, Helga! What the hell?! You fell asleep beside me, that's what happened!" he yelled back, covering his face where she slapped him.

"I um…I fell asleep beside you?" she asked him, while still in shock.

"Yes! You suddenly just turned towards me and snuggled a bit and fell asleep. I didn't want to disturb you because I thought you did that intentionally and I didn't want you to start freaking out like how you are now!" he continued to yell.

Helga did not need to ask him what happened. She knew that she fell asleep and she knew that it was Rodrigo whom she snuggled with. She was not dreaming of Arnold. But it was not intentional. It completely unconsciousness. She just needed reassurance if this was all a dream. It wasn't.

Realizing what she did to him, she attempted to get closer to him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to slap you. Here, let me take a look at it."

However, Rodrigo scooted away from her and put his arm between himself and her.

"I'm fine, just don't slap me again." He retorted back.

Despite knowing that it was an accident, he was angry at her. He hated feeling pain and needed time to calm down. There was another reason. He knew that Helga was getting into her nurturing behaviour again and the last time she did that, he felt nervous being so close to her and he did not want to endure that again.

Helga however, would not take no for an answer and continued getting closer to him.

"Stop being a baby and let me take a look at it." she said with a demanding voice.

She pushed his arm away and crept in closer. She then grabbed the hand that was holding his cheek and somewhat forcefully moved it away. When she succeeded, she used her hand to inspect his cheek. Other than it being red, there were no wounds or blood coming out. Yet, she for some reason continued touching him, up to the point where her hand gestures changed and she started caressing his cheek.

Rodrigo was looking away during this time, feeling nervous again. However, when he realized that she started caressing his cheek, he turned his eyes to look at her to see what she was doing. As soon as he did that, both their eyes locked with each other and for five whole seconds, the entire universe stopped moving. Rodrigo saw that her eyes were blue and realized for the first time just how beautiful they were; blue as the depths of the ocean, full of wonders yet able to endure even the toughest of storms. Rodrigo became completely mesmerized by her, allowing him to forget his nervousness and simply feel a deep sense of calm and admiration.

Helga for her part, was also completely mesmerized as she locked her eyes with his. Her heart immediately starting beating faster and faster, as she felt the sensation go right down to her core. She felt completely lost but also...safe with him. She instantly wanted to be closer to him, but she did not move. Not since Arnold had she experienced anything like this before, this yearning to be close to someone. And now she was feeling it with Rodrigo.

What seemed like forever, was only for a few seconds before Rodrigo snapped out of his trance first. If he had to be honest with himself, he had the confidence to know that if he gave in and kissed Helga right there and then, she would not have resisted. However, having already been slapped once, he was going to do no such thing.

"Thanks Helga, for looking at it, I mean." he finally said her, causing Helga to snap out of her trance.

As she regained her composure, Rodrigo got up and helped her get up.

"By the way, I like your eyes. They are beautiful." he said to her, trying to lighten the mood and getting back at her for slapping him by making her even more uncomfortable.

"Umm thanks." was all she could say nervously.

The two teens scrubbed all the snow off of them, then started walking back home. Neither of them said anything, allowing another awkward silence to envelope them. Helga felt really bad for slapping him, but she did not know how to make up for it. As soon as they go out from the park, Rodrigo then remembered something.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I wanted to tell you that I got Arnold's letter a few days ago."

"Oh? What did he say?" she asked.

"He just introduced himself, welcomed me to the group and to the city and made a few recommendations on where I can go to have fun. He also thanked me for being friends with you and for helping you out." He said.

"Of course he did." she said while she rolled her eyes. "Did you write back to him yet?"

"Not yet. I'm not really sure what to say to him." He said

"I'm sure you'll figure it out." she said.

They then continued walking home in silence. Still reeling with guilt, she then said,

"I'm really sorry for slapping you. I never meant to do that to you. It just came out of nowhere."

Rodrigo was still upset over the slap, but knowing that it was accidental, he decided to let this one slip but with a warning.

"It's ok, Helga. I'll let this one go, but seriously do not touch me like that again."

Helga said nothing but acknowledged the seriousness in Rodrigo's voice when he said that.

They continued walking towards her house, making small chat along the way, but she could tell that Rodrigo was still upset over the slap; he was barely answering her. She didn't mind it though. She was still reeling over their 'moment' and she was desperately trying not to freak out in front of him again. After a while, they finally arrived at her house.

"Thanks for the walk Latino boy. Again, I could have walked on my own." She said to him.

"You could have, but I did not want anyone else to get slapped by you. I'm just looking out for everyone's well-being" he said back to her with a smirk.

"You know, for a guy who is an outcast, you're a cry baby over a dumb slap. I'm sure you had it worse." she said with her arms crossed now.

"Ya, I did. But I have my limits." he replied back.

Before she went inside, she figured what she can do for him at least. She started to lean towards him, but Rodrigo suddenly jerked his head away, thinking that she was going to hurt him again.

"What? I'm not going to hurt you again, doofus. Sheesh! I'm not that cruel." She said, feeling a bit offended that he would think she would touch him like that again. "Just come here."

Rodrigo very reluctantly lean a bit. Helga then leaned again and planted on him a small kiss on the cheek where she slapped him.

"See? That wasn't so painful." She said with a smirk as she gave him a tap on his shoulder

Rodrigo was a bit confused about the kiss, but he nevertheless said to her,

"No, it wasn't. Thanks Helga. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too." she said. Then she went up her stoop and into her house.

Rodrigo walked home after she went in; pondering about the kiss she just gave him. Unlike the others times when she got close, he didn't get nervous this time. It not only felt nice, but also warm and ...right, which made him all the more confusing.

_Ya, this is really confusing! Just a moment ago my heart was pounding when she snuggled beside me and when we had that 'moment' where we almost kissed, but now I feel ok._ He thought.

He really wasn't able to put finger on it, but he decided that it was probably just the way she behaves towards him whenever she gets close to him.

_I really shouldn't think too much into this. She has a boyfriend whom she loves deeply. There is no way that she would simply forget him after being in love with them for almost her entire live! Whatever that 'moment' was, I'm sure it was nothing._ He continued to think.

Satisfied with his conclusion, for now, he then proceeded to get home as fast as possible and in order to start writing his response letter to Arnold.

**Later that evening…**

_Dear Arnold,_

_thank you kindly for your letter. It is nice to finally get in contact with you. I have heard so many things about you since I started school. You are a most cherished and well respected person here in Hillwood. It would be nice if you do get a chance to visit us. I know everyone here will be glad to see you again. I have a lot of questions to ask you, but I would like to wait until I see you in person._

_Thank you for the welcome and for the recommendations that you gave me. I have not had the chance to try that ice cream at __Slausen's Ice Cream parlor but I'll be sure to put it on my list. As for jazz music, I love the genre and I'll be sure to visit one soon._

_Your friends have all been very nice and very welcoming to me. I was deeply impressed by them, which is why I decided to be friends with them. You're right, they are a diverse bunch and I found that to be a fun fact that I deeply cherish. I have no problem in either playing sports with Gerald and the boys, or to going to see a play with Eugene or go to an opera with Rhonda. I can honestly say that I am very happy to have met everyone. They have made the transition a lot easier for me._

_My compliments to your friends also include your girlfriend, Helga Pataki. There are a lot of things that I can say about her, too much to write in this letter. But I will say this: I can honestly see why Phoebe is friends with her. I can also see why you fell for her, Arnold. Yes, it wasn't easy trying to be friends with her, and there were times when I wanted to just quit, but like you, I refused because I knew that deep down, there has to be something good, something so beautiful that only a privileged few can see it. Despite being a difficult person, Helga is truly an amazing person._

_My only concern is that I wish our friends would also see that. I no doubt know the difficulties it was for you to juggle between your friends and Helga. I don't know how you did, but I highly respect you for doing it._

_speaking of juggling and sports, I hear you have a good arm for baseball. I hope I get a chance to see that in person sometime. _

_Merry Christmas to you and your family as well Arnold._

_Yours truly,_

_Rodrigo Castile de la Serna _

**Meanwhile in Helga's room…**

Helga was walking around her room quickly, trying desperately to calm down before she succumbed to a panic attack. She was at a complete loss what had almost just happened between her and Rodrigo. She was surprised that she was able to put up a calm face after the incident, even going so far as to kiss him on his cheek and not freaking out.

_I can't believe I just did that, getting close to him and actually falling asleep like that! I knew I shouldn't have gotten too close to him. I can't believe how stupid I was to let this happened. Worse still, we almost kissed! I know that Rodrigo felt the same vibe, but whatever his reasons for not leaning in to kiss me, I'm so thankful for that! Had he done so, I don't think I would have resisted!_ She thought almost hysterically.

_I can't believe I just slapped him like that! What must he think of me?! It wasn't his fault, I trust him not to do anything stupid, and he was even kind enough to let me get close to him, but yet out of instinct, I still hit him like that. Crimeny he must think I am nuts!_

_This has never happened to me! I have never, EVER thought about being, or doing things with someone other than Arnold! What happened? Why him? What makes him so special? I know I can't answer these questions because I'm still not sure how I feel about him! This is driving me crazy!_ She thought frustratingly.

She started pulling her hair, irritated that she can't figure things out.

_I have to talk to Phoebe about this. I can't do this on my own. I need her help._ She thought.

Despite the fact that Phoebe had not yet texted her back, she nevertheless grabbed her phone and started calling her.

After a few rings, she finally answered.

"Hi Helga." her best friend said to her.

"Phoebe, I need your help." she bluntly told her best friend.

**To be continued...**

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**That wraps it up! You will have to wait for the next chapter to see what Helga and Phoebe have to say about this and what solution they come up with.**


	19. Chapter 19 - Boxing Day

**Hi everyone! This chapter takes place after the previous one. Phoebe rushes to Helga's house to talk about what had happened on Christmas.**

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Helga tried desperately to distract herself while she waited for Phoebe to come over. She tried to write, but to no avail. She went downstairs to watch something but as usual, Big Bob was hogging the TV. She went back upstairs, opened her laptop and attempted to watch whatever YouTube channel was able to get distract her mind. That did it...for now.

She hardly slept the night before. She was not able to fully grasp what had almost happened between her and Rodrigo. A thought kept occurring in her mind that she tried desperately to avoid thinking about. It was too surreal, too abject, too terrifying for her to ponder about it. She couldn't be honest with herself. She refused to even consider it, yet the thought kept circling around her mind, driving her almost crazy. What was that thought? For the first time ever, she was developing feelings for someone else and she didn't know how to handle it. Yet it was not a simple fact. She was still not sure what to fully make up of her feelings towards Rodrigo, especially as her feelings for Arnold have not really subsided.

As Helga watched a funny video, she recalled her phone conversation with Phoebe.

**Yesterday evening...**

"Phoebe, I need your help."

"What is it Helga?" her best friend asked

"I have to talk to you in person. Can you come over tomorrow please?" Helga asked.

"Tomorrow? Yes , I believe I am free. But, what's the matter?" she asked with a concerned tone.

There was a long pause from Helga. All Phoebe could her was her heavy breathing and her attempts to not cry. She then knew that it was serious.

"Helga?" She called out again.

"I...I almost... ki...kissed Rodrigo earlier today." she finally spoke.

Now it was Phoebe's turn to be silent. If Helga could see her face, Phoebe's eyes widen. She was almost as much shocked as Helga was that she had to sit down, for fear of fainting.

"Pheebs?" Helga called out to see if she was still there.

"I'm sorry Helga. I'm still here. I'll come over in the late morning. If you need to, please call me." she confirmed.

"Thanks Pheebs." She said and then she hung up.

Helga didn't need to explain to Phoebe the significance of this event. Phoebe was fully aware of Helga's deep, yet loving obsession for Arnold throughout almost her entire life. Not once had Helga's feelings ever been redirected for someone else. It was either Arnold or no one. Phoebe took this close call very seriously and was concerned about how Helga was dealing with it. She wanted to come over earlier, but her family had already made plans to have a nice after Christmas breakfast.

**December 26 (Boxing Day)...**

By the time they had eaten their breakfast; Phoebe excused herself and informed her parents that she needed to see her best friend. She wanted to see how she was doing and to discuss about how this close call came about. Even more importantly, she needed to know how she can help Helga, especially since everyone agreed to meet up later in the afternoon.

She quickly put all of the dirty dishes to the kitchen, grabbed her jackets, scarf and hat, put on her boots and quickly ran out outside. It was still snowing and the sidewalk had still not yet been cleared, so it was difficult for Phoebe to run in the snow. Yet, she was determined to get there as quickly as possible.

After some time, she finally made it to Helga's house. After Miriam opened the door and some small chit chat with her parents, she quickly ran up to Helga's door and knocked.

"Helga, it's me." she called out.

Helga opened the door, allowing her best friend to walk in.

"Sorry for not making it earlier, the sidewalks were still not cleared." She explained to Helga.

"It's ok Pheebs. Thanks for coming." She said, attempting to sound that she still retained some sort of self-control.

Phoebe wasted no time and quickly put her jacket on the floor, sat down on the floor and bluntly asked her,

"Helga, what happened? How did that close call even came about?"

Helga sat down in front of Phoebe, and explained everything to her.

Helga wasted no time in revealing everything that had been going on between her and Rodrigo since they met. She told her the first time she experienced jealousy and anger whenever she would see Rodrigo dance with another girl. She told her that they have been secretly taking dancing lessons in order to help her relax and learn to dance with someone else. She told her the day when she revealed to him her pink bow, much to Phoebe's shock. She told her about how Rodrigo got a part-time job at the boarding house. Essentially, everything.

Helga was practically letting everything out that she had been bottling inside of her for months that on a few occasions she started getting hysterical. Phoebe, not once, but twice, had to slap her in the face in order to get her to calm down.

"Helga!" she cried out as she slapped her the second time.

*smack*

"Thanks Pheebs." Helga said. "Ow! That really hurts. No wonder Rodrigo was really upset with me when I slapped him yesterday." She continued as she caressed her cheek.

"What?! Why did you slap Rodrigo?" Phoebe asked her.

Helga finally gave the coup de grâce. She explained to Phoebe how the whole scenario came about, how she fell asleep beside him, the slapping, and the moment when they looked at each other's eyes together.

"And did you pull away?" Phoebe asked her.

"No, that's just it; I didn't pull away. I was...I was actually waiting for him to kiss me, but he didn't. I don't know what his reasons were, but he was the one that pulled away from the moment." She explained, her face being completely filled with sorrow and shame.

"I guess he didn't want to run the risk of being slapped again." She said while letting out a small chuckle.

"But I know that he also must have felt that 'moment'. I saw it in his eyes and in his reaction. He's not oblivious about it; he knows there was a moment between us." she continued.

"Helga, if Rodrigo had kissed you, what would you have done?" she asked.

"I don't know!" she exclaimed, as she tried not to let tears fall down. "I don't think I would have refused. I think would have kissed him back!"

"I just can't believe this is happening to me...I never, ever, would have thought about ever betraying Arnold. And now here I am, feeling so ashamed that I almost kissed someone else!" she said while finally starting to cry.

Phoebe, instead of slapping her a third time, went up to her and hugged her tightly.

Helga was not yet ready to tell Phoebe the truth: that she and Arnold had broken up before he left. There was no agreement, not even a mention, of either of them waiting for the other. Helga took the breakup as a permanent change to their relationship status, but still hanged on an obsessional hope that it could change in the future. She was effectively single. Yet, she nevertheless felt the shame of betraying Arnold.

Phoebe for her part, although not aware of Helga's relationship status as being single, still knew that this close encounter was more than just a betrayal; it was an existential threat to her current identity. Part of the reason why Helga was on the verge of having a breaking down was because, for the first time, she called into question, her entire existence.

After a few moments of helping her calm down, she released Helga from her arms, gave her some tissue and then said to her,

"Helga, I know what you are thinking and you are not a bad girlfriend."

"What?" She asked.

"Helga, it's been more than two years since Arnold left, away from you holding him, kissing him, or even seeing him. Unfortunately, as much as we would like to think otherwise, people don't just wait for someone for years without eventually succumbing to the whims of our desires." She explained.

"I know it doesn't look like it, but it is naturally for you and people in general to be attracted to someone else. Especially in your case, with Arnold not being here, you want to experience that that sense of having to be with someone, to kiss and hug each other. In other words, you want love. Unfortunately Helga, as much as we humans like to think so, we have never been good at monogamous relationships."

"What are you saying Pheebs?" the blonde girl asked her.

"I'm saying Helga that it should not be surprising for you to feel this say after not being physically close with Arnold for more than two years. I'm not saying you should pursue a relationship with Rodrigo, no. I'm only saying that despite how much you love Arnold, it is not uncommon for people in a relationship to find other people attractive or to develop feelings for them. I know that your love for him is a bit...extreme, but you are no exception to this." Phoebe explained.

"Well that makes me feel a whole lot better Pheebs." she said jokingly as she wiped a tear from her eye. "But I get your point. It's just...scary. " she continued.

"Helga, what do you think about your feelings for him now? Are they still the same?" Phoebe asked.

"Pretty much. Even after almost kissing him, I still don't feel that usual romantic sensation. I still don't think about him, much less fantasize about him. Even when I see him, I don't get nervous around him, I feel I can be my usual, cynical myself. It's just, somehow, I feel drawn to him." She explained

"Can you elaborate a bit more about what you mean by 'you being drawn to him'?" She asked.

Helga simply pulled her hair in utter frustrating.

"That's just it Pheebs, I don't know! I can't exactly pinpoint what it is about him that I am drawn to. The only areas that come up are that he doesn't just see me as a tough, bullying person. Whenever he talks about me, he describes me as if I am this beautiful, strong person. He is not afraid of me. Like Arnold, he sees something of value in me. Yet at the same time, he doesn't forget my flaws. He sees me for what I really am. If anything, he's told me that he likes my tough exterior, even though it can be frustrating to deal with it sometimes. And, I like that about him, that he is not judgmental. That and he is a very intuitive person. Every little, if anything escapes him. Like Arnold and you, whenever I talk to him, I feel like that I'm talking to someone mature rather than a child. He may not be as patient as Arnold is, but he is understanding and he is incredibly smart. We also seem to be getting along well, finally. I know we had our ups and downs, but things are finally stabilizing where we can just enjoy each other's company. Whenever I see him I feel...happy. Yet all of that is fleeting! I sometimes feel that is what I may find him attractive, but then it just disappears! It comes and goes." She explained.

"Are you going to be nervous if you see him later today?" She asked.

"A bit, but only because of that 'moment'. It'll feel more awkward than nerves." She confirmed.

"You've mentioned to me that he constantly reminds you of Arnold. Are you perhaps imagining that it is him you are seeing?" Phoebe asked.

"If you are referring to the possibility that I maybe hallucinating, then no. I'm not going crazy and I don't literally 'see' Arnold in him. A good chunk of his personality does remind me of him, but nowhere to the extent that my mind blinds me. I know that the person I am looking at is Rodrigo and not Arnold and I know that whatever feelings I have for him is for Rodrigo." She confirmed.

"There is one other thing. It is something that I admire about him." She confessed.

"Which is?" Phoebe asked.

"He is able to do something that I have not been able to; be happy. I told you about his issue with his relatives and how they ostracized him and his family. I know it was rough for him and it still affects him, but he doesn't let that get to him. He is able to move on with his life and live as happily as he possibly can. He's told me that despite what they did to him, he doesn't hate them. If he did, then they would have won. He doesn't let that happen. If anything, he is proud of it and he uses that to be who he is. I haven't been able to do that yet, Pheebs. Rodrigo has been helping me and I know I have made some progress, but I am not there yet." she explained.

"He is more confident in himself than I am." she continued. "I like that about him, that he doesn't let the crappy things in life to get him down. I know that I am making him sound a lot like Arnold, but there is a difference. Arnold is idealistically optimistic, whereas Rodrigo is more down to earth. A bit more realistic, but still maintains a sense of optimism. I find that less annoying." she said jokingly with a bit of a smile on her face.

Phoebe realized that she was running out of time. Things with Rodrigo have progressed faster than she anticipated. With school and her other activities, she has had little time to research on Helga's psychological state. She thought about perhaps informing Helga with that little information she did gather, but she decided against it. Helga would have had hundreds of questions to ask her, to which Phoebe would have little information to answer them, so there was no point. Only after she can conclusively pinpoint to her mental state will she then discuss it with her.

Helga for her part, wanted to ask Phoebe's opinion on what she thinks she should do about this. Yet, she reframed from asking this specific question because it would imply to Phoebe that Helga was asking her if she should perhaps pursue things with Rodrigo. Instead, she asked Phoebe this,

"Phoebe, what should I do about this? I mean, what can I do to ensure things do not continue to progress with Rodrigo?"

Truth be told, Phoebe was at a loss on how to properly respond. She was at an impasse. The obvious thing to do would be to spend less time with Rodrigo. However, she was afraid that that would jeopardize Helga's few friendships, not to mention this could reverse many of the positive changes that Helga has been experiencing since Rodrigo came into her life. Phoebe was afraid Helga would resort back to isolating herself if she attempted to avoid him. In addition, Rodrigo would take notice of Helga's avoidance and would naturally inquire on it. And unless Helga was willing to confess, she would have to lie to him about why she is avoiding him, which based on experience, has never led to any happy conclusions. On the other hand, doing nothing could only strengthen her feelings for him. If Helga was single, Phoebe would actually encourage it, but since she was still in a long-distance relationship with Arnold, she was against in doing anything that would jeopardize her relationship with her beloved football head.

For a time, Phoebe started to regret in preventing Helga from leaving Hillwood to see Arnold.

_Perhaps it was best if she did leave Hillwood to be with him. Who's to say that she would not have adjusted herself in San Lorenzo? She could have._ She thought sadly.

Yet, it was too late for that. She re-focused on the matter at hand and proceeded to respond to Helga.

"I'm sorry Helga, but I have no way of giving you a proper answer. The only thing I can tell you is to attempt to resist these temptations and to only see Rodrigo as a friend. If you find it to be necessary, then perhaps try to spend less time with him. Don't avoid him; just spend less time hanging out with him. And always remember what made you fall in love with Arnold to begin with and how much he cares about you and vise-versa."

"But what if I can't resist it? What if I fall more into this hole and fall out of love with Arnold?" she asked with a worried face.

Phoebe had no answer to that. She could try as much as she can to reason with Helga. She can even lock her away until Arnold returns. Yet in the end, if Helga does falls for Rodrigo and falls out of love for Arnold, then there is nothing that neither she, nor Helga could do. The heart wants what the heart wants. And if that happens, then it isn't fair to Arnold to force Helga to be with someone that she no longer loves.

"Helga, just give me some time to see what I can do to help you. I promise I will do what I can." She reassured her.

"In the meantime, perhaps it is best if you also seek advice from Dr. Bliss. I'm sure she can help you on how to deal with this." She continued.

"Thanks Pheebs. And I guess I can ask the doc about this." She said.

**At Rodrigo's house...**

While Helga and Phoebe discussed about last night's moment, Rodrigo was also in thought about this, albeit less so than Helga. Based on the way Helga was looking at him last night, he suspected that Helga might start developing feelings for him; however he was not entirely sure just how strong they were. At the moment, he felt that they were minimal at best; nowhere near enough for her to question her relationship Arnold. He tried to reassure himself that despite her possibly growing feelings for him, they will always pale in comparison to the feelings that she has for Arnold.

_There is no way she will ever break up with Arnold all because of a dumb 'moment' with me. She has been in love with this guy since she was three. They are still in relationship, so I'm sure that Helga is fully aware of her love for him and she will never do anything to jeopardize that._ He thought.

In addition, the thought of her being with Arnold and not with him didn't seem to bother Rodrigo, much to his relief. Yet he was still perplexed as to why he would grow nervous whenever Helga got close to him, especially when she got all nurturing towards him. He remembered starting to sweat and his heart starting to beat faster whenever that happened. Yet last night when she kissed him on the cheek, he felt nothing.

_It's really weird. But I guess it is probably because I know that she is taken and I did not want to be that close with anyone who is taken._ He continued to think.

Yet in the end, he pushed such thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand. He was getting ready to meet everyone that the Hillwood Complex mall. But first, he needed to make a pit stop at a place within the neighbourhood. His mother had made tamales, a Central American cuisine, and he wanted to take it to a few people. As soon as he was ready, he went outside and quickly made his way to this destination.

As he walking, his thoughts strolled back to last night. He thought if he should talk to Helga about what happened, just to clear things up between them, but he hesitated. With the way Helga reacted last night, he wasn't particularly confident if she even wanted to discuss it. Knowing her, she probably just wanted to forget it ever happened.

_Maybe it is for the best if I just let this go. Yeah, I'll do that. At the very least, if Helga wishes to talk about it, then ok, but if not, then we'll just move on and forget it ever happened. I'm probably making it a big deal than it really is. I'll leave it up to her if she wishes to talk about it._ He concluded.

Despite the conclusion, it did not make Rodrigo feel any better. Quite the contrary, he felt ti touched a nerve and couldn't help but feel a bit...disappointed. He wasn't sure why he felt this way, but he assumed that it was the thought that Helga wanted to forget the moment ever happened, as if whatever it is that they shared was not enough for her. he wasn't sure if it was just his pride or something else that felt that pinch, but whatever the case, he couldn't do anything about it, other than swallow the hurt and move on.

In the meantime, he also thought if he should say anything to their friends about them meeting up last night. Obviously he had no intention of telling them about the 'moment', but anything prior to that, that's nothing worth to hide. The reason why he was thinking about this is because if he was not going to say anything, then he had to act as if he was just seeing Helga for the first time since school, which worried him. He wasn't sure how Helga would interpret this. In the end, he decided he would tell his friends about them meeting up after dinner, only omitting the park scene.

**At the Hillwood Complex Mall...**

Helga and Phoebe entered the mall and started looking for the rendezvous point. Everyone had agreed to meet up at entrance D. As they walked toward the rendezvous point, Phoebe began to speak.

"So have you thought about if you are going to say anything to Rodrigo about what happened last night?"

"I've decided to just forget it ever happened. It was only a onetime thing and I'm going to make sure it never happens again. I don't want to make a big deal out of this." She confirmed.

"I just hope he doesn't bring it up." She continued.

"How are you feeling now?" Phoebe asked her.

"Ok, just awkward." She responded back.

After a few more minutes, they saw Rodrigo with Nadine, Sheena and Lila waiting for everyone else. They quickly approached them.

"Hi everyone! Merry Christmas!" Phoebe exclaimed cheerfully.

"Merry Christmas!" Rodrigo, Nadine, Sheena and Lila said simultaneously.

Everyone hugged each other, except with Helga, they merely waved at her, to which she responded. Rodrigo on the other hand, went up to her and extended his closed hand to her.

"Merry Christmas again Helga." he said to her with a smile.

Helga was a bit surprised when he said that out loud.

_Did he tell them what happened last night?!_ She thought.

Not wanting to cause a scene, Helga responded back with her own fist and touched his.

"Merry Christmas." she said nonchalantly.

"Was everyone waiting long?" Phoebe asked them.

"Not really." Nadine explained. "Lila, Sheena, Rhonda and I came here early. We went shopping. Then Rodrigo texted me to see if anyone was here. We met up with him just ten minutes ago and just to pass the time, we told each other how our Christmas went."

"So where is Rhondaloid?" Helga asked.

"She went to a see a few stores. She should be back soon." Lila explained.

Helga then looked at Rodrigo but then asked everyone,

"So how was everyone's Christmas dinner?"

"I guess it was the usual for everyone. We all had a nice big breakfast, we opened our presents, and then we had a nice dinner." Sheena said.

Helga was not interested in how their Christmas dinner went. She wanted to know what Rodrigo said about his Christmas and especially after the fact.

"What about you Rodrigo? Was your Christmas boring as well?" she asked him with a serious tone.

Rodrigo however, was unfazed and responded,

"Well ya. It was a bit lonely, considering it was my first Christmas in Hillwood. Which is why when you texted me last night, I asked you if you wanted to meet up, remember? We took a walk, talked a bit, and then went home."

Helga then calmed down a bit, relieved that Rodrigo had not spilled anything about what happened at the park during their walk. Rodrigo for his part, just gave her a cold stare, indicating that he was a bit offended of her thinking he would ever say anything to anyone about the incident.

"Ya , I remember." she said.

Just then Rhonda showed up.

"Phoebe darling! Merry Christmas!" She said cheerfully as she hugged her, but made no attempt to hug Helga and simply said to her nonchalantly, "And Merry Christmas to you too Helga."

"Likewise Princess." Helga responded back with a small smirk.

Rodrigo then looked at his cell, as he just got a text message from Gerald.

"Well, the guys are here, but they are at the video game store. Did you ladies wish to meet up with them there?" he asked them.

"I guess we could go there. I'm done my Boxing Day shopping...for now." said Rhonda cheerfully.

As everyone agreed, they started walking to where the boys were at, which was on the other side of the complex mall.

As the girls were talking among themselves, Helga noticed that Rodrigo was being very distant and quiet from everyone. Something was bothering him, but she didn't know what. She hesitated about approaching him, afraid that he was just bothered by what happened last night and did not want to bring up the topic.

_What's his problem? He looks like he has seen a ghost. He can't be that bothered by the incident at the park._ She thought.

Helga's suspicious of him being distant were true. Rhonda had just asked Rodrigo a question, but he was so preoccupied with whatever was bothering him that he didn't hear her.

"Excuse me, Rodrigo? Hello?!" she exclaimed to him.

"Huh? Sorry what?" he asked, getting out of his thoughts.

"I asked you where the video game store is, exactly. I don't want to go around in circles." She asked with a bit of annoyance in her voice.

"Sorry Rhonda. It's that way." He confirmed.

Throughout the entire time, Rodrigo said nothing unless spoken to and looked completely distracted. Helga by now was considering this to be nerve-wreaking. She really did not want to touch the subject, but she didn't know if Rodrigo was bothered by last night's event or if it was something else. Worse, if it was about last night, why was it bothering him so much? It was the unknown that was causing her to be nervous.

_Was he developing feelings for me too? Did he want to kiss me? Ugh, crimeny this is torture!_ She thought angrily.

Finally, the girls and Rodrigo met up with the boys who were busy playing with the free games. After everyone greeted each other and said their usual 'Merry Christmas' statements, the whole gang decided to go to a few stores, much to Rhonda's delight.

Helga had other plans. No longer able to take it, she decided to confront Rodrigo about what was bothering him.

"You know what? You guys go ahead. I gotta talk to Rodrigo about something. We'll catch up to you soon." She said, surprising Rodrigo.

_Huh? What does she want to talk to me about?_ he thought.

"Ok Helga. Text me so we can direct you where we are." said Phoebe.

As the gang started to walk away from them, Helga immediately grabbed Rodrigo by his jacket, walked the other way and then finally asked him.

"Alright bucko, talk. What's bothering you?" she asked him while still grabbing onto his jacket.

"Huh? Nothing. What's up with you?" he countered.

"Don't play games with me Latino Boy. You come here with your long face, being all quiet and you're expecting me to believe that it is nothing? Is it about what happened last night at the park?" she asked with a raised voice.

"What, No. That's not what's bothering me." he said.

"Really? So you're telling me that by sheer coincidence something else happened to you last night that has been making you be quiet and distant this whole time?" she asked him suspiciously.

"Believe it or not, yes. I just can't talk about it. It has nothing to do with what happened last night. Yes, I was thinking about it, but I didn't want to bring it up unless you wanted to talk about it." He explained.

"I didn't want to bring it up; it never happened, got that? But you started acting all weird and quiet that I got nervous if you were really bothered with what happened last night that I had to confront you about it." She said annoyingly.

"Helga, trust me when I say this;" he said with a serious tone. "whatever that was at the park, it was nothing more a very small 'heat of the moment'. I know you love Arnold very much and I respect that. You're my friend and I would never, ever put myself between you and him."

Helga couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed by his statement. With the way he sounded, it looked as if he did not return the feelings that she had for him. Yet, this is what she 'wanted' to hear.

"Good, see that you don't." she said aggressively, as she let go his jacket and crossed her arms.

"So if it wasn't last night, what has been bothering you?" she asked him.

"I told you I can't talk about it. It's doesn't concern me, it's someone else."

"It must be pretty serious if it is affecting you." She implied.

"Ya, it is a bit serious. Not life or death serious, but still enough for it to affect me. Don't worry about it. It'll pass. Nothing I can't handle." He said reassuringly.

Helga said nothing.

"So we cool?" he asked.

"Yeah." She said, as she turned around started heading to where their friends were. Rodrigo followed suit.

As they continued walking, none of them said anything to each other. Rodrigo wanted to say something, just to get rid of this awkward silence that was developing, but he didn't know what to say. Helga did not seem to be in a good mood, so he relented from saying anything to her.

As per Phoebe's direction, the gang was at several stores. The girls were in one store, while the boys were in the other. Rodrigo however, had no desire to go shopping. He just wanted to spend him with his friends, even if it meant going shopping.

"You can go and meet up with Phoebe. I have no desire to succumb myself to this capitalist enterprise." he grumbled to Helga. He then walked toward an empty seat and sat down.

Helga looked at him for a second and then toward the store where the girls were at. Like him, she too had no desire to shop. She never does.

Rodrigo took out his phone and attempted to play a game, confident that he was going to be alone. To his surprise, he felt Helga take a seat right next to him.

"Don't want to go shopping?" he asked.

"Are you kidding? I hate shopping." she declared.

"Good to know I'm not the only one." he said with a chuckle.

Rodrigo continued playing with his game, guessing that Helga still did not want to talk. Yet, again to his surprise, Helga then asked to him,

"How much did last night's event bother you?"

Rodrigo immediately stopped playing his game and put his phone away. He was now a bit exasperated that Helga still wanted to talk about it, despite stating that she did not want to bring it up in the first place.

"It bothered me, but I didn't lose sleep over it." he said.

_Wish I could say the same._ She thought.

"It took me by surprise that that 'moment' actually happened." he continued. "Obviously, I wasn't expecting it. Yet at the same time I shouldn't be surprised. It happens to a lot of people really. I've seen a lot of drama and bad breakups with my friends and classmates back in L.A.. That's why I'm hesitant to have a girlfriend so early in my life."

"You don't want a girlfriend because you are afraid of a lot of drama?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It sounds bit cowardice, I know, but the chances of couples getting together so early and actually making it to marriage are slim. Everyone knows that teenage years are full of chaos, uncertainty and irrationality. I honestly don't know how you and Arnold managed to stay together. I know you guys must have had your rough days, but it is pretty incredible that despite everything, you two managed to still be together." he said with a smile.

By this point, Helga started getting choked up, but reframed from showing it, and the pain she was feeling. As with Phoebe, Helga wasn't ready to tell the Rodrigo the truth about her and Arnold. She wasn't even ready to acknowledge it with herself.

"Thanks." was all she could say. "So you're telling me that you are actually going to wait until you are old, fat and grumpy before you decide to find someone?" she continued.

Rodrigo just laughed and said with a smile on his face, "No, I'll wait until the right one comes. But that doesn't mean that I won't have fun in the meantime." he said with a smirk.

"Ugh." she said with a disgusting look on her face.

"Thanks, for not telling anyone about what happen last night." she continued.

"No worries. It's not like I want to tell people that you slapped me. It's a little embarrassing." he said.

"Crimeny, you're not going to let that go are you?" she asked jokingly.

"I will...eventually." he said with a smile.

As the two teens continued talking, they didn't notice someone approaching them. He was a skinny, but somewhat tall guy. He still wore his yellowish shirt, even after all these years and still wore glasses. As he got closer to the two teens, Helga noticed the heavy breathing coming from behind her.

"Uh, hi Helga." said the stranger.

Helga turned around and to her complete surprise, instantly recognized the guy.

"Brainy?" she asked.

Brainy simply nodded.

Helga smiled at him, got up and to Rodrigo's surprise, gave Brainy a big hug.

"It's nice to see you again. How you been?" she asked him with a big smile on her face.

"Uhh, doing pretty well." he said with his heavy breathing. "I'm just shopping for Boxing day. I didn't know you were into shopping." he continued.

"I'm not. I'm just here with our friends. We're waiting for them." She said while continuing to smile at him.

_Wow, whoever this guy is, he must have seriously impressed Helga for her to act so nicely._ He thought.

Rodrigo got up and waited for Helga to introduce him to Brainy.

"Oh Rodrigo, this is Brainy. He is a good friend of ours. He used to go to the same school with us, but he had to move before entering high school."

"Hi Brainy, it's nice to meet you." Rodrigo said with a smile and shook his hand.

"Likewise." Brainy responded back.

"Where do you live now?" Rodrigo asked him.

"Uhhh, on the other side of town. I just came here to see this new mall and to see old friends." Brainy responded back.

"Are you going to be here long?" she asked him.

"Just a bit more." he said.

"Well let me get everyone so they can say hi to you. I'm sure they will be happy to see you." said Rodrigo and he went inside the stores to get them.

After a few minutes, the gang all ran out of the stores to see Brainy.

"Brainy, oh my god! It's ever so lovely to see you again." Exclaimed Lila.

"Yo Brainy, how's it going?" said Sid as he gave him a pat on the back.

"My man Brainy, good to see you again." said Gerald.

Rodrigo was a bit surprised to see how happy everyone was to see him, including Helga. He figured he must have been a close friend of theirs. Yet, as they went to sit down and talked, it soon dawned on Rodrigo that Brainy, despite formerly living in the same neighbourhood and even going to the same middle school, was never really close to them, other than a few times of hanging out with them.

"So wait, you guys are telling me that he was not really close to you, but you guys almost jumped on him when you saw him?" he asked.

"Ya, Brainy holds a special place in Helga's and Arnold's heart, literally. But I'll let Helga tell you about it." Said Gerald.

"And besides, after the fifth grade, we got a chance to get to know him more, and slowly he started coming out of his shell. But like Helga, he always liked being on his own. Unfortunately, by the end of the eighth grade, his parents have moved to the other side of the city, so Brainy had to go a different high school. " Said Nadine.

"It's also the nostalgia Rod. Seeing Brainy sure brings up a lot of good memories when we were kids." Stinky continued with the story.

Despite Brainy's similar appearance, he changed a lot since he moved. Although still retaining his heavy breathing, he let his hair grow a bit, with his face becoming a bit more masculine and cuter.

"Uh have you guys heard anything from Arnold since he left?" Brainy asked.

"Ya, we write him letters whenever we can. Heck, he even sent Rodrigo one. What's your home address Brainy? If you want, I can send it to him so he can write you a letter. I'm sure he will be happy to get in contact with you." Said Gerald.

"Uuh sure." Brain confirmed and gave Gerald his home address.

"Has he visited Hillwood since he left?" he asked again.

"Nah man. He tried to come a few times, but he had to cancel at the last minute. This kid is always busy." Gerald responded back.

"Oh, that's too bad." he said.

Rodrigo grew very uncomfortable at the mention of Arnold. He was not able to hide it in his face, but luckily, everyone was looking at Brainy, so no one noticed.

Brainy then turned to Helga and said to her,

"Uhh Helga, I see that you started coming out of your shell as well."

"What?" she asked.

"I saw you talking to Rodrigo. I'm assuming he made an impression." He said.

"If you consider bumping into me on the first day of class, sure I guess. I let him roam around with me whenever I'm bored." She said nonchalantly and with a smirk on her face.

"You must be pretty bored all the time, cuz you let me roam around with you a lot of the times." Rodrigo responded back with his own smirk.

Rodrigo and Helga told Brainy on how they met and how their friendship started to develop, while omitting the obvious, secretive parts.

"I'm uhh, glad to hear that you two have become close." he said.

Despite being happy for Helga, it was also not lost to him as to why Helga opened up to Rodrigo, while still shutting out everyone else. Rodrigo must mean something to her than either of them were willing to admit.

After some further conversation, Brainy informed everyone that he had leave. He had extended family coming over later today and he promised to help his parents with making dinner.

"Uhh I better get going everyone. It was great seeing all of you." he said.

"Keep in touch man, you have our numbers." said Gerald.

After their goodbyes, he departed from the mall. The rest of the gang spend another hour at the mall, roaming around, trying on new clothes and talking. Eventually, everyone decided to head home for the day.

**Back in the neighbourhood...**

Rodrigo decided to walk Helga home today, but not to make sure she was ok. He had been wanting to ask her about Brainy.

"So what's the story with Brainy? Why does he hold 'a special place in your and Arnold's heart', as Gerald put it?" he asked.

"We've known Brainy since pre-school." she began to explain. "Initially, I never liked him. He had this very irritating and invasive habit of always showing up unannounced whenever I wanted to be alone. I know why he did it; he liked me. Obviously, I was never able to return his love, and I think he knew that the chances of us being together were very slim. He knew I loved Arnold but he nevertheless persisted in showing up unannounced. I'm not sure what he was trying to accomplish. It was actually very intrusive, so much so that every time he did it, I would punch him in the face, sometimes breaking his glasses."

"Did he ever stop?" he asked.

"Nope. He continued doing it. I can't judge him though. I kind of had the same habit with Arnold, although less intrusive." she responded back sheepishly.

"When we went to San Lorenzo, during one night, I decided to confront Arnold about my feelings for him. I could not have chosen worst time to do it. Arnold was still busy worrying about his parents and unbeknownst to us, he made a secret deal with our tour guide, who turned out to be Lasombra. He told Arnold that he can help find his parents but forced him to promise to not tell any of us. This was obviously bothering him. So when I told him about my feelings, he freaked out and at that moment, a boat light shined on us. He used it as an excuse to get away from having to discuss my feelings for him. Because I was too much into trying to tell him how I felt about him without freaking out myself, I mistook his escape as a form of rejection. Obviously, I was very upset and in a fit of rage, I threw a locket that I had of him into the river. Brainy saw this and leaped out into the river to retrieve it. After the boat attacked us and Lasombra took us to his hideout, while we were kept prisoner, Brainy showed me the locket that I threw out. He even managed to reattach the picture I had of Arnold that I tore up. Grateful, I kissed him on the lips for it. My locket not only reminded me why I love the guy, but it proved to be crucial in helping the Green-eyed people from the sleeping sickness. Arnold's parents were also infected with it. My locket was able to unlock the cure, which woke up all the adults that were sleeping, including Arnold's parents."

"After we arrived back to Hillwood, I told Arnold what Brainy had done. Naturally he was grateful as well and gave him a big hug. He didn't do it for Arnold though. I knew that he jumped into that river for me, to make me happy. Nevertheless, I ended up having a heart-to-heart talk with Brainy. I told him that he couldn't continue stalking me because I was now with Arnold and it wasn't fair for him. I knew that he liked me and I told him that I was sorry that I couldn't return it. He was hurt but understanding and the stalking stopped. But since then, we started getting a bit closer. Arnold and I used to spend some time talking to him and actually getting to know him, which if you do, he's an alright guy. It became hard to do that after he moved to the other side of the city and attended a different high school but I still keep in touch with him every now and then."

"Wow, what a sweet guy." Rodrigo said.

"Yeah, he is. I know what it's like to be an outcast and not be the most popular person, so I understand him a bit." she said.

"Wait a minute. Gerald told me that you confessed to Arnold your feelings about him when you were saving the neighbourhood. This was at the end of the fourth grade. The whole San Lorenzo fiasco happened one year after that. You mean to tell me that you had to confess your feelings for him a second time? One year after already doing it?" Rodrigo asked.

"Yeah, I did." she said while rolling her eyes, frustrating at having to confess twice. "After we saved the neighourhood and things calmed down, Arnold and I made an agreement to go back to how things were before my confession, in order for him to have the space and time to think about what I had said. I was actually happy about it, because it showed that there was a chance for us to be together. You have to understand that I confessed at the wrong time. I did it at the most crucial moment when Arnold and Gerald were trying to get the evidence to prevent Scheck from tearing down our neighbourhood. Arnold was being chased by his guards throughout the entire FTI building. So not only did he have that to deal with, but he at that moment, discovered that the person that was feeding him crucial information was his former tormentor and bully; moi. When he pressed me to tell him why I did it, I let it slip and told him about my undying love for him, how I would always think about him, write poetries about him, etc. So not only was he still reeling that I was helping him, but now he had to comprehend that I never hated him. No, I loved him. It was a lot to handle and it was a shock. He needed time to think about it. I just didn't think it would take a whole freaking year and another attempt in getting him to like me for him to finally realize his feelings for me!" she exclaimed in the end.

"Wow, I would say he must be a pretty dense guy, but I don't blame him for wanting some time to think about it." Rodrigo said.

"You don't?" she asked.

"No. Gerald told me some of things that you did to him since pre-school. Whatever you did, it's in the past now and I'm not going to criticize, nor judge you for it. But after what you put him through, it is not surprising that he needed the time and space to have to completely re-think his entire perspective of you. Although to be fair, it shouldn't not have taken a whole year for him to answer you." he explained.

"Thanks" she said.

Finally, they reached Helga's house. After both teens said their goodbyes, Rodrigo went home.

**Later that evening...**

_Guess who we ran into today football head? Brainy! We bumped into him at the new Hillwood Complex Mall that recently opened up. It was great seeing an old friend. Gerald is going to send you his home address in case if you want to send him a letter, which I'm sure you will. He hasn't changed much. He still wears glasses, a bit tall and skinny, although his hair is longer now and his face, well, he's gotten cuter. Must have been all the punches that I give him over the years hahahaha. No, you can relax Arnoldo, I didn't punch him when I saw him. I just gave him a big hug instead._

_We all had a chance to see him, Rodrigo included. They got off pretty well. I told the Latino boy why Brainy holds a 'special place in our hearts', as Gerald puts it. You know the whole locket thing. _

_Speaking of which, Rodrigo doesn't think that you are dense! Isn't that a surprise?! Although I tend to disagree with him, he did have a point about how, after what I put you through, it was no wonder that you needed some time and space to think about how you saw and felt about me after my first confession. BUT, Rodrigo did say that it should not have taken you a whole year to finally realize your feelings for me, football head! Way to leave a girl hanging!_

_Talking about Rodrigo, I could tell that something was bothering him today. He looked like he has seen a ghost, but he wouldn't tell me what was wrong. I'm sure he'll tell me about it eventually. Maybe if he tells you in one of his letters to you, you can perhaps let me in on what happened? I'm not a gossiper like Rhondaloid, I just want to make sure he is OK._

_How was your Christmas dinner in San Lorenzo? I hope it wasn't too much for you. From what Rodrigo tells me, Latinos tend to get pretty wild at parties, especially during the holidays. Do they have boxing day as a holiday there? I suspect they do not, considering the poverty over there. You and your parents did manage to just relax for one day and not catch anymore dangerous specimens, right?_

_Your grump elf,_

_Helga G. Pataki_

Once she was finished, Helga then gently put her letter into her usual binder, then picked it up to put inside her closet. As was always the case, she could never muster the courage to send it. Here another Christmas came and went without her saying 'Merry Christmas' to her beloved football head. After making a sad sigh, she put on her pajamas then crawled into bed and called it a night.

"Merry Christmas Arnold" she quietly said, as she slowly went to sleep.

* * *

**I just wanted to make a few comments to some reviews:**

**Ezza: Thanks! It wouldn't be complete if I didn't include Phill and Gertie in my story. **** As for how things will turn out between Rodrigo, Arnold and Helga, you will just have to wait and see.**

**Call Me Nettie: You're right, Big Bob is too much of a good businessman to not adapt to the market in order to survive. He himself said it in the first movie, where he tells Helga that progress is necessary and in so doing, there will be casualites. Bob, at least in my story, is determined to come out and win and he did succeed!**

**Call Me Nettie: Thanks! As much as people hold Bob with contempt, he is not a typical bad guy. He is just a seriously flawed person. While a good businessman, unfortunately he is a lousy father. Yet at the same time, he does care for his family, albeit in a very egotistical and patronizing way. He just sucks in expressing himself and is very stubborn. Yet he is a good provider for his family; that we cannot deny, whether it in this story or in the show. Just like any human, you can't be good at everything and it is unfortunate that he is not able to be as good of a father to both Olga and Helga as he needs to be.**

**Guest: Thanks**


	20. Chapter 20 - An Old Acquaintance

**Hi everyone! An old acquaintance arrives at Hillwood High school. What does everyone think about this person? Will this person's arrival affect Rodrigo and Helga's relationship?**

* * *

The winter was bloody cold. It had snowed hard during the night and it was continuing to snow during the morning. Snow plow trucks were desperately struggling to remove as much snow as possible to allow traffic to run. Yet, their efforts were almost futile, as more snow continued to fall from the sky, seemingly as a sign from the Heavens for school to be cancelled. Yet it was not so. Despite the snow, the news confirmed that school will continue. As the students were struggling to get to school, a new student arrived just in time before class started.

This new student had only recently arrived to Hillwood and was not accustomed to the weather. Despite wearing a thick jacket with sweater, the new student shivered in the cold, yet maintained the composure to continue walking towards the entrance of the school.

"¡Dios mío, que clima! De donde viene tanto nieve?" (My God what a weather! Where did all this snow come from?) The new student exclaimed to itself.

This new student had been lucky on many occasions. It was luck that this student's parents were able to find good jobs in this city, allowing them to move. It was by luck that this student was able to continue school despite half of the semester being already done. Heck it was luck that this student was even able to get to class on time!

Finally, the new student made inside the school and quickly proceeded to find the Principal's office in order to get the agenda and all of the classes that the new student had registered only a few days prior. The new student quickly found the office, grabbed all the papers and the agenda, then quickly went to find the first class on the list: Literature.

"Hmm, puede ser interesante" (Hmm, could be interesting.) The new student said.

The bell had already rang, signalling to everyone that class had started. Yet, within just thirty seconds, the new student found the class and quickly went inside. All the other students had already sat down on their seats and the teacher was just about to start when the new student came inside, prompting almost everyone to look towards the entrance door.

"Hello, Ma'am? Is this 3009 Literature class?" The new student asked the teacher.

"Why yes. I'm Mrs. Whitecotton. You have must the new student. I know this is your first day so don't worry about being a bit late. Please find a seat so we can get started." The English teacher, Mrs. Whitecotton said to the new student.

The new student quickly scanned around to see if there any seats; there was only one, almost in the middle of the classroom. The new student quickly walked and sat down in order for class to start. Everyone in class watched as the new student went to sit down, everyone, except a blond girl with two pigtails, who did not even bother to look up to see who this new student was. The blonde with the two pigtails was busy finishing the assignment that the teacher had only recently given them last week and had about a month to finish it. The blonde girl was nearly done. The new student also did not notice the blonde girl sitting just a few seats away from her left. The student was already nervous as everyone watched her sit down.

**Lunchtime...**

When the bell rang for lunch, everyone got up and went to eat. The new student had to first find the locker that was given to it. Once it was found, the new student put all of the unnecessary bags inside, except the lunch and quickly walked to the lunchroom, unfamiliar with the new surroundings. The new student hoped to be able to make friends soon, but first, the student had to find all of the registered classes and once that was done, then the student can perhaps see if there were any extracurricular activities to enroll.

It didn't take long for the new student to find the lunchroom. It wasn't so hard to find it, as almost all the over students were walking towards it. The new student went inside, scanned around and found an empty table to sit in. The student walked towards the empty table, sat down and began to eat, while scanning around to check out the students that were around. As the student was doing so, it noticed a group of students that was directly across from the table that the student was sitting in, on the other side of the causeway. In that group, there was a guy who appears to be Latino with a black fedora hat.

Rodrigo, Helga and the rest of the gang all made their way towards their usual table, sat down, started to eat and chit chat. Helga decided to just do some reading for the time being. Ever since she regained her inspiration to write, she had the desire to start reading literature in order to find new inspirations or to just relax. She sat on the other side of the table, directly in sight to see the new student that was staring at her group.

Helga took a peek and noticed this new student sitting alone while eating, and also looking at her and the rest of the gang. She did not know who this person was, but judging from the empty table, this person must be new to this school. Not thinking about it any longer, Helga then looked back down to her book to continue reading.

Rodrigo sat on the opposite side of the table, with his back towards the new student, so he did not notice the person.

The new student was starting at Rodrigo, trying to see his face. He then turned his head around, allowing the student to see his right face of his face and instantly recognized him!

_Oh my God! It's him!_ The new student exclaimed in thought.

The student quickly finished eating, then drank some water, took out a mint gum, packed everything, then got up and started to walk towards Rodrigo and the gang.

"Ya I tell you man, We would have won that game if we were only a bit more aggressive." Gerald said to Sid and Stinky.

"Really? So where was all the aggression, Gerald? I didn't see you trying to tackle anyone out there" Sid shot back with a smirk.

"I didn't want to get bruised. I have a date this weekend with Phoebe." he said, as he looked at her with a flirteous look and smile. Phoebe merely giggled and blushed.

The gang continued talking and eating, not noticing that the new student was walking towards them. Once the student arrived behind Rodrigo, she instantly grabbed his fedora hat and placed it on her head.

Rodrigo instantly turned around, wanting to see the person who was stupid enough to touch his hat. Everyone else also noticed the person behind Rodrigo and instantly looked. Upon turning and seeing the person who took it, Rodrigo's eyes widen.

"Hola Rodrigo." she said to him with a sweet smile.

Rodrigo initially said nothing. He got up, his jaw hanging. After a few seconds, he finally spoke.

"Gabriela?" he said as he started to smile. "OH MY GOD!" He immediately launched himself and embraced Gabriela, so much so that they twirled around, both of them hugging each other tightly. Rodrigo then instantly gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Helga instantly looked up the second she heard Gabriela say Rodrigo's name and like her peers, was dumbfounded as to who this person was.

Rodrigo was so surprised and happy to her that he started stuttering when he attempted to ask her why she was in Hillwood.

"¿P-Pero que estás haciendo aquí?" (B-But what are you doing here?)

"Nos mudamos de LA. Vivo aquí, ahora. Llegué hace menos de un mes." (We moved from LA. I live here now. I arrived less than a month ago.) She explained.

"¿Pero, por qué no me dijiste?" (But why didn't you tell me?) he asked.

"¡Hahaha, quería sorprenderte! Creo que logré" Hhahaha, I wanted to surprise you! I guess I succeeded.) she said while laughing.

Rodrigo said nothing and just hugged her again.

Meanwhile, his friends were still waiting for Rodrigo to calm down and explain who this Gabriela was. Knowing that Helga understood what they were saying, Sid leaned closed to her and quietly asked her,

"Hey um, what are they saying?"

Helga merely rolled her eyes at him and shot back at him.

"If they wanted us to understand what they were saying, they would have spoken in English."

"But you understand Spanish, Helga." Sid countered.

"And how is that my fault?" she rhetorically asked him.

Sid merely sighed in defeat and leaned outward and continued waiting like everyone else.

After a few more minutes, Rodrigo remembered that his friends were still looking at them.

"Sorry guys. Um, this is Gabriela Oliveira. She is a good friend of mine back in LA."

All of his friends, except Helga, waved at her.

Gabriela Oliveira was a beautiful Brazilian by birth and grew up in a Brazilian household. Although she can understand Portuguese, her parents never forced her to learn it. Instead, she learned English and Spanish and is currently learning Italian. Being mixed, she had the face skin tone as Nadine, but with dark, afro brown after hair and green eyes. She was not much taller than Rodrigo and her body type was almost the same as Helga's. Being a religious sceptic herself, not an atheist, she was on the few friends that did not ostracize Rodrigo. If anything, she often supported him during debates. Her parents were also one of the few adults that did not turn their backs on Rodrigo and continually allowed him to hang out in their house.

Gabriela was smart and had a free spirited personality. Like Rodrigo, she loved to dance, although her tasted in music was a little bit more constricted. She was very sweet and respectful, yet was not the type of person to be messed with. Like Helga, she can quickly turn extremely mean and aggressive when pushed. Additionally, because of her natural beauty, she did not wear makeup or any feminine accessories, such as fake nails. However, unlike Helga, she was more feminine in behaviour and appearance. She was also not afraid to play sports.

Rodrigo had been in touch with Gabriela and had told her about his friends, so she decided to guess who was which.

"Wait let me guess." she said with a smile. She looked at Gerald and said to him, "You must be Gerald." and extended her hand.

"Why, yes I am." he said with a smooth tone and smile and shook her hand.

Gabriela then went to every person, trying to guess their names. She remembered Rodrigo's description of them and attempted to guess it, proving her right each time. After introducing herself to Sid, only Helga was left, who did not move from her chair. Gabriela looked at her and said with a smile,

"And you must be Helga Pataki..."

Although being the farthest, it was not a coincidence that Gabriela left Helga for last. She was not thrilled to see her and was not sure if she would like her. Rodrigo had told her about their ups and downs and what she put him through. It was only by him telling Gabriela the good things that Helga did for him; helping him cope with his grandmother's arrival, and not getting suspended, and eventually being an actual friend to him, that Gabriela was willing to be nice to Helga. At the same time, being new to Hillwood, she did not want to start her first day of school making enemies and causing trouble. Her priority was to settle down and make friends and based on how highly Rodrigo spoke of his group of friends, she wanted to be part of it.

"It's nice to meet you." Gabriela said to Helga, extending her hand.

Helga for her part, was not yet experiencing her jealousy, but did not know what to make of her. She was also suspicious of what exactly did Rodrigo say about her to this Brazilian broad. Moreover, she felt that Gabriela was being overly nice, almost as annoying as Lila, although not quite there. Plus, due to her feminine appearance, she looked like someone who would be in Rhonda's crowd. All in all, she was not quite liking her. However, Helga did not want to cause any further trouble for Rodrigo. She had already put him through a lot in the past months and was not willing to put any further stress on him, especially after everything he has done for her. She simply smiled as genuinely as possible at Gabriela and said,

"The one and only." as she shook her hand, much to Gabriela's and Rodrigo's relieve.

"So what brought you to Hillwood Ms. Oliveira?" Stinky asked her.

Rodrigo allowed Gabriela to sit down with them in order to answer Stinky's question.

Gabriela told everyone that the school where she was at in LA was deteriorating with gang violence and drugs. Despite its good programs, it was becoming dangerous to continue studying there. To make matters worse, Gabriela's mother was laid off from her job. After that loss, her parents then decided to move away. Gabriela suggested to them to perhaps inquire on moving to Hillwood, as Rodrigo was already there and based on his description of the city, it wasn't too bad. After a lot of research and job searching, her parents found jobs there and were impressed with the city, hence decided to move there. Luckily for her, Rodrigo told her where he was living and what school he went, so Gabriela's parents were able to find a new home not far from the neighbourhood.

After discussing about why she moved to Hillwood, they then started talking about her and her areas of interest. Yet as they did so, their friends were giving them suspicious looks. Seeing as how Rodrigo said they were only 'friends', it was confusing to see that Gabriela had wrapped her arm around Rodrigo's and both were holding each other's hands. They hadn't let go since she sat down. This was especially suspicious to Helga, as she now felt her jealousy acting up.

"Umm pardon me Rodrigo, but you did say that you guys are friends right?" Gerald finally asked him.

"Ya, why?" Rodrigo asked.

"Because you've been holding her hand since she sat down and haven't let you go. I know you guys are happy to see each other, but isn't that a little too...intimate?" Rhonda interjected.

"Oh, no you've got it all wrong, were not a couple. In Brazil, it is not uncommon to see two friends from the opposite sex to be a little touchy with each other. Some hold hands, while others would wrap their arm around the other, etc. I know it can be confusing here and even in the rest of Latin America, but Brazilians are touchy people and that's how we like to express ourselves." Gabriela attempted to explain with a polite smile.

Despite the cultural shock, everyone seemed to have been convinced by that, except Helga and Rhonda. Rhonda had been to Brazil a few things and based on her discussion with the locals, she knew Gabriela omitted to say something additional to that; that these intimacies can sometimes lead to become more than just friendliness. They can become a 'heat in the moment'. Yet not wanting to be rude and possibly be wrong, Rhonda said nothing and just smiled.

Helga on the other hand, was having none of it. If anything, Gabriela's explanation merely caused her blood to boil more, yet she reframed from allowing her jealousy to permeate in her facial expression. Despite how jealous or angry she was becoming, she had no intention in making a complete fool of herself in front of everyone by lashing out at both Rodrigo and Gabriela. Rodrigo was only her friend and she had no authority to saw who he can be friends or intimate with. Despite her anger, she admitted to herself the ugly truth that she could do nothing about it...for now.

After some further talking, it became apparent that everyone was taking a liking to Gabriela. She was funny, smart and nice to be hang around with. Rhonda was a bit suspicious, not wanting to lose her status as a beautiful and popular socialite against her within the group. Yet, she thought if she could perhaps take her 'under her wing' and see what she is made of.

Soon the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch. Everyone said their goodbyes and went to class. Rodrigo quickly took Gabriela's phone number and promised to texted her later. He remembered that he had dancing lessons with Helga that same day, so he informed Gabriela that they can meet up either later in the evening or see each other tomorrow.

**At history class...**

During their history lesson, Rodrigo leaned in a bit and quietly asked Helga,

"So what Latin music did you want to dance to later today? Let me know so I don't have to bring all of my CD's."

Helga thought for a moment before she looked at him and said,

"Actually, let's just reschedule. I have things to do at home and I'm sure you would want to hang out with your friend later today."

Rodrigo looked at her, a bit surprised that she would want to cancel their dancing practice. She never cancels.

"Are you sure Helga?" he asked.

"Yes, Latino boy I'm sure. Go have fun with her friend." she said with a smile.

"Ok, thanks." he responded back.

**End of school...**

Once school ended, all the students hurriedly hopped on the bus in order to go home, except Rodrigo and Gabriela. He decided to give her a bit of a tour of the school and catch up.

About an hour after, they got out, hopped on the bus and went home. As they continued talking, their conversation eventually went to discussing about Rodrigo's friends.

"So what did you think of my group?" he asked her.

"I like them, I think they are all nice. I think Sid likes me. He was practically just starting at me, almost drooling." she said with a smile.

"Ya, I saw it. He's a nice guy. A bit flirty with the girls, but I haven't heard any foul rumours of him being a player. I think he is just shy." he said.

Gabriela merely smiled before then she added,

"I don't think Helga likes me. I looked at her a few times and she didn't seem too pleased in me being here. Does she ever smile?"

"Rarely, but when she does, it's a beautiful smile. I told you about how difficult she can be. She doesn't trust people as easily as others can. She has been hurt before, so it's hard." he explained.

Rodrigo had spoken to Gabriela a lot about Helga and Gabriela was not thrilled at how difficult this person can be. He obviously omitted revealing anything personal about her. He never told her about Helga's neglect at home, her showing him her pink bow and how after two years, she still loves and deeply misses Arnold. Like Phoebe and Arnold, he had only told her vague information, enough for her to know that there is something going on, but never enough to know what they are. Even when Gabriela pressed him to reveal more, he refused. Gabriela knows that Rodrigo's main concern is not whether he trusts her to keep a secret, as much as to actually keep the promise that he had promised he would keep. It didn't matter whether Rodrigo trusted Gabriela or not; he made a promise and he intends on keeping it. Despite the frustration, Gabriela knows that Rodrigo can be trusted and she would always tell him personal things about her, knowing that he will never tell it to anyone else.

"I gotta be honest Rodrigo, I don't think I can be friends with her. It just seems a lot of work and a lot of headache to put up with. Especially now, since I am new to this city and this school. I'm not saying that I'm going to be mean or avoid her. I have every intention on being nice to her. I'm just saying that I don't think I can friends with her." Gabriela confessed.

"I understand and I'm not asking you to be friends with her. It's up to you who you want to be friends with. If you become friends with her, great! If not, then it's ok. All I'm saying is that, if you want to get to know her, just be a little patient with her and know that she has been through a lot. It will take time for her to open up. That's it, that's all I'm going to say. How you choose to react or say to her, that's up to you." he said.

"OK" she confirmed.

**An hour earlier in the bus...**

Meanwhile, as the gang were on the bus heading home, Phoebe sat next to Helga and said to her,

"So Gabriela seems to be nice. What did you think of her?"

"She's alright, I guess." Helga responded nonchalantly.

"What about your jealousy?" she asked.

"It acted up again. I'm not surprised. But don't fret about it Pheebs. I have no intention on lashing out on this chick or Rodrigo. I know that if I do that, apart from humiliating myself, I'll end up upsetting and hurting him and I have done too much of that already." she said.

"What are you planning on doing, to cope with it I mean?" Phoebe asked.

"I'm not sure, really. I'll have to suck it up, I guess. I'm not thrilled that she is here. I know it's mean and she is not at fault, but the last thing I need is to have someone arouse this anger and jealousy at a time when I don't even know how I actually feel about all of this. That, or I'll have to start avoiding Rodrigo whenever he is with Gabriela." she said frustratingly.

Phoebe just sat there, thinking on how to help her friend. She knew that simply 'sucking it up' was not going to make the feelings go away. Perhaps if she should be to be more direct with her feelings and with Gabriela.

"Helga, if I may suggest something; instead of simply avoiding Rodrigo and your feelings, what if instead you confront the source of your jealousy?" she said.

"What do you mean, confront how?" Helga asked.

"Talk to Gabriela, get to know her and see how she relates with Rodrigo. I'm sure that once you get a chance to understand her, you will no longer see her as a threat. I'm not suggesting that you should be friends her. I'm just stating that in order to understand why you feel jealous, you should instead just go to the source and see for yourself." she explained.

Helga did not like where Phoebe was going with this. She was afraid that if she did that, she might get overwhelmed and end up either doing or saying something that she would regret. Plus, Gabriela seemed to be annoying, albeit less so than Rhonda or Lila.

"Let me think on this Pheebs." Helga said.

**The next day...**

Despite the continuing blizzard, Gabriela quickly learned from yesterday's weather and took an earlier bus, as most students also did. She made it to her Literature class very early; there were only two other students waiting inside. Happy that she made it early, she went to the back and sat down at the furthest desk. Once seated, she took out a book to read in order to pass the time.

Thirty seconds later, Helga walked into the classroom and was about to walk to her usual seat when, taken by complete surprise, she saw Gabriela there.

_You have got to be kidding me._ She thought. _When did she start this class..._

Then instantly, she remembered that the new student that showed up yesterday must have been her. Helga was too busy on that day, finishing her assignment to bother to look up. Annoyed at the turn of events, she nevertheless walked towards Gabriela who was busy reading.

Upon arrival, Helga cleared her throat, causing Gabriela to look up and was just as surprised as Helga to see her here.

"Oh, morning Helga. Are you in this class too?" Gabriela said to her with smile.

Helga this time, made no attempt to smile back at her and simply replied rather coldly, "Yes, and you're in my seat."

Gabriela's smile quickly disappeared. She scanned the room and saw that there were other seats still available, including one right beside her. She knew that students were not designated to a permanent seat and could sit wherever they wanted. She turned back to face Helga and said,

"But there are other seats for you to seat in, Helga. I was here first."

Helga said nothing and merely continued to stand there, crossing her arms on her chest and giving Gabriela a serious frowning face, waiting for her to move.

Seeing how she was not backing down, and again, not wanting to create enemies, she reluctantly and irritatingly grabbed her belongings and moved to the seat next to her. Despite being Rodrigo's friend, Helga was giving Gabriela no special privilege. Once she moved, Helga sat down, took out her notebook that Rodrigo had given her for Christmas, opened it and started writing.

_Wow, what a b****. Yeah, she doesn't like me. I see how she wants to play this game. Sorry Rodrigo, but I'm not going to put up with her attitude._ Gabriela thought bitterly.

However, not even a minute passed when Helga, while still writing on her notebook, then asked Gabriela,

"So what's the scoop Gabby? What do you know about me?"

"What?" Gabriela asked, as she shot up, looking surprised that Helga was talking to her.

"You wouldn't have come here trying to guess our names, quite accurately, without Rodrigo having to talk to you about us. So my question is, what exactly has he told you about me?" She re-asked her question again, this time looking up to see at her.

Helga was never fond of people talking about her behind her back and wanted to know just what exactly did Rodrigo say about her.

Gabriela was surprised that after pulling off a really crammy attitude, she was not only still willing to talk to her, but she is now giving her nicknames.

"First off, it's Gabriela, not Gabby. And secondly, he's talked a lot about you, but a lot of it is vague. He's told me that you like to dance, that you are a writer, mostly poems and short stories, you rarely smile but when you do, apparently it's a 'beautiful smile', according to him. He's told me that you smarter than you let on, but you also have a rotten temper. He's told me that you have issues but what exactly they are, he doesn't tell me. All he's told me is that you have gone through a lot and despite having a most grotesque attitude, my word not his, you are the most interesting and strongest person he's ever met."

Helga listened attentively with an emotionless facial expression.

"Is that all? She asked Gabriela.

"Yeah, that's about it" she replied back while shrugging her shoulders.

"You're lying." Helga said.

"Excuse me?" Gabriela responded.

Helga could tell that Gabriela was not telling her everything. She was holding something back and she wanted to know what it was.

"You're hiding something; I can tell. So whatever it is that you're not telling me, just say it." She said with a demanding voice.

"You want me to be honest with you?" She asked with a serious tone.

"You mean you weren't being honest until now?" She mockingly asked her with a smirk on her face.

_Ok, she wants me to say it? Fine then I'll say what I have been wanting to say to her._ She thought.

Gabriela put her hands on her desk, looked at Helga straight in the eyes and said with a serious tone,

"I know what you did to Rodrigo. I know what you put him through. He's a sweet guy and he didn't deserve it. Because of that, I'm not exactly thrilled to meet you. He told me about that racist remark you said to him on the second day. You're lucky that he found it funny. Had you said that to me, I would have sent you to the hospital. Despite what you did, he still defends you and insists that there are a lot of good things about you that makes it worth being your friend. He's not the type of person that easily falls prey to other people's influence, so I trust his judgment that you are indeed a good person, despite your flaws."

"Despite the lack of details, I know you have been through a lot, and I'm sorry about that, but that doesn't give you the right to take it out on him. He has nothing to do with your misery. Yet, the only reason why I am being nice to you, even now, is because you are now being a friend to him and have helped him in the past. Had it not been for that, I would not have bothered to have shaken your hand yesterday. How's that for being honest?" She concluded with her own smirk.

Helga said and did nothing while Gabriela barked at her.

_Well, she's a feisty one. _She thought to herself.

Almost three seconds after Gabriela finished talking, Helga simply smiled at her, turned back to writing on her notebook and said,

"Good to see that you finally got that off of your chest. I think you and I are going to get along just fine Gabby."

_Ookkk, not the response that I was expecting_. Gabriela thought curiously.

She had expected Helga to either bark back at her or at the very least defend herself. Yet she did none of those things. But before Gabriela could inquire on this, the bell rang, signalling the start of class.

**The End of first class...**

Once the bell rang, all the students got up to go to their next class. Both Helga and Gabriela also got up and started to pack up. Although still baffled by Helga's response, she was simply going to leave it be. But before she was get going, Helga again surprised her when she asked her,

"So what class do you have next?"

It took Gabriela sometime before she was able to respond. Before class started, she had just barked at her and now she is acting as if that never happened.

"Um math class, room 256."

"Ah, my second class is in the same direction where yours is. C'mon I'll walk you to it." she said with a more sincere voice, although she was still not smiling.

Before they walked out, Helga went to Mrs. Whitecotton's desk to give her the assignment she finished yesterday. Then both teens walked to their next class.

"I'm assuming Rodrigo gave you a tour of this dump yesterday?" she asked Gabriela.

"Um ya he did. He offered to stay behind and show me around." she said suspiciously.

By this stage, Gabriela was getting uncomfortable and had her guard up. She had no idea why Helga was all of a sudden, acting nice. Just an hour ago their conversation got pretty tense, and it could have resulted in a brawl. Now, Helga is talking to her as if they are now friends. Gabriela had no way of knowing if Helga was being genuine or if she was pulling something to let her guard down.

This wasn't lost to Helga, as she detected Gabriela tensing up. Wanting to calm her down, she said to her,

"You can relax, you know. I don't want to make an enemy out of you. We're just talking."

If Gabriela was surprised before, she was now shocked that Helga was able to interpret her behavior. Initially, that started to make things worse, but then she remembered Rodrigo saying that Helga is a dead honest person. She tells you how it is. So, if that's true, then it must mean Helga was just trying to be nice. With that reassurance, Gabriela was able to calm down a bit.

"OK. What class do you have next? she asked.

"Sociology."

It didn't take long for them to arrive at Gabriela's class. Trying to be 'nice', she then said to Helga,

"Thanks. I'll see ya later."

"See ya." She replied back and continued walking to her class.

_Well that wasn't so bad. I'm sure she'll have a lot of things to tell Rodrigo._ Helga thought to herself.

**Lunch time...**

When lunch time rolled around, Gabriela met with Rodrigo at his locker and as Helga predicted, told him about her morning encounter with Helga.

Rodrigo for his part had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it seemed as if Helga was trying to act nice and not hostile, which delighted him. Yet, on the other hand, he was curious, if not suspicious, as to why there was a big change. Helga had never made any serious attempts to be nice to anyone, not even to him, on the first go. So why the change and why with Gabriela? Shamefully, he was a bit jealous that Helga seemed to be letting Gabriela off easy while she gave him a hard time.

_Hmm, I'll talk to Helga about this during our dancing lessons. I wanna know why she is being nice to Gabriela. But I gotta do it in a way that does not sound condescending or that I'm distrustful of her intentions_. He thought. _God knows, like always, she will take it personally._

Yet, despite his feelings, he focused on the positive.

"Well Gabriela, for whatever the reason, it seems that Helga took a liking to you. If she didn't, she would have made it known to you. I think you should take it as a compliment and go with it." he said.

"I guess. But I'm still not sure if I want to be friends with her." she said back.

"I don't think Helga is sure of that either. I think she is testing you out, just differently than other times. Just go with it. If you becomes friends, great. If not, then that's ok. At least you guys will be on good terms."

"Ok, but you sure she is not pulling something?" she asked.

"Helga is not the type to go that far. Even on the first day when she punched me in the stomach, she told me that she came up with it at the last second and was never planned. And if she does pull something, I have your back." he reassured her with a smile.

**During their dancing lesson...**

Half way into their dancing lesson, Rodrigo thought it was now a good time to bring up the subject that had been on his mind all day.

"So Gabriela came to me during lunch and told me about your encounter with her." He began.

"And what of it?" she asked while still dancing with him.

"Well, I wanted to say thank you, for being nice to her, in your own way." He said with a smirk.

Helga had anticipated Gabriela talking to Rodrigo about their encounter and, during the day, thought about what exactly she was going to tell him. As far as she was concerned, she did not care for Gabriela. She was only acting nice towards her for two reasons; to try and eliminate this jealousy by confronting it, as per Phoebe's suggestion, and to not antagonize Rodrigo. She had no intention of ever telling him the former reason.

Helga then broke off their dancing and while gasping for some breath, said,

"What makes you thinking that I was doing it for you, Latino boy? Can't I just be nice to people?" while trying to sound offended.

Rodrigo thought carefully about what he was going to say next. This could very easily go down the wrong way pretty fast.

"I didn't say that. All I said was thank you. Regardless of your reasons, it means a lot to me. It would have sucked if you guys did not get along." He said to her reassuringly.

Helga merely shrugged her shoulders said, "sure, whatever helps you sleep at night." And proceeded to continue dancing with him, but she was not satisfied with her own answer.

After a few more minutes, she decided to touch the subject again. She wanted to know why Rodrigo was questioning her intentions, even if they were not altruistic. He wouldn't do that unless there a reason. She broke off their dancing lessons again and asked to him,

"So you don't think that I can be nice to people?"

"Au contraire, I know you can. I'm just wondering why you did it on the first round. You have given practically everyone a hard time, including me and Arnold, for a while before you started being nice to us. Yet with Gabriela, you did it only on the second day of meeting her. Now unless you are either a closeted lesbian or bisexual, which I doubt that you are, something made you change your behaviour and I'm just curious to know what that 'something' is" he explained.

"Well, if you must know Latino boy, it is because Gabriela cares about you." she said.

Rodrigo raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"You care to elaborate on that?" he asked.

Helga sighed and attempted to explain.

"Look, it's obvious that the second she attempted to guess our names, you must have talked to her about me and everyone else. I know that however much you said to her about me, she would have had a good idea of what I'm capable of. And yet, she was able to be brutally honest with me about not being happy to meet me, and even going so far as to threaten me to send me to the hospital, all because of what I put you through. I know that her threat was real, but by being honest, she was willing to risk starting a brawl with me just so she can demonstrate to me how much you mean to her and how much it must have bothered her when you told her about some of the things that I did to you. And...I admire that, not just her guts, but how much she cherishes her friendship with you. Clearly that's not nothing that should be taken lightly. If I was in her position, I would have done the same thing."

Helga wasn't lying when she said this. Despite it not being one of the primary reasons, Gabriela's honesty about how she felt towards Helga impressed her. Helga was not willing to hurt Rodrigo this time around by doing whatever it took to not provoke or get into any conflict with her. Gabriela for her part, threw all that out the window and attempted provoke her into a verbal, if not a physical fight. Different ways of handling things, but for the same reason; for Rodrigo's sake. Moreover, that encounter convinced Helga that Gabriela was of no threat to her. With the way Gabriela behaved and said about Rodrigo, it assured Helga that Gabriela only sees Rodrigo as a good friend. From the outset, she was not able to detect any romantic, or deep feelings from Gabriela other than being strictly platonic. Had there been any, Gabriela would have explicitly shown her distaste for her the moment she saw Helga. It was because of this last part, that Helga was able to relent and give Gabriela the benefit of the doubt.

Rodrigo for his part, was surprised by Helga's explanation, yet reframed from facially showing it. Although he believed that she was telling the truth, he was not sure if Helga was telling him the whole truth. Even more, he was a bit suspicious about why Helga let Gabriela off easy simply because she cares about him.

"So you let her off easy because she was willing to stand up for her friends, no matter who it was, or was it because she was willing to stand up for me? he asked her bluntly.

"Both" she responded back without flinching.

"Ok." he said back, although still not completely convinced. "Are you ready to continue practicing?" he asked.

"Sure." she said as she shrugged her shoulders.

**The next day...**

Gabriela walked into her Literature home class early, again finding only a few students sitting around and waiting. She looked straight ahead and saw that Helga had still not arrived. Still irritated in being forced to moved seats, she nevertheless sat on the same desk that was right beside Helga's. As she sat down and waited, she wasn't sure how things were going to go down. Gabriela knew that Helga was going to inquire with Rodrigo if she had spoken to him about yesterday's morning encounter, but she wasn't sure how Helga would take it. Nor did she know if Helga will continue to act nice or not. Gabriela just decided to deal with it when it comes to it. To pass the time, she grabbed her book again and started reading.

About a minute later, Helga walked in and made her way to her usual seat. Upon arrival, she put her bag down, sat down, took out her notebook again and started writing. Gabriela made no attempt to address her. She waited for Helga to make the first move.

"So I'm assuming Rodrigo told you why I was being nice yesterday?" Helga asked Gabriela while still writing on her notebook.

"Nope. I was not even aware that you guys hanged out yesterday." she responded back. "But since we are on that topic, why are you being nice? I prefer to hear it from you anyways."

Helga stopped writing, lifted her head to look at Gabriela and calmly responded.

"We're not the same. I don't even think we have a lot in common. But I like your honesty. What you said to me yesterday, I would have said the same thing to you. You're right, Rodrigo is a great guy and he didn't deserve what I put him through. I have um...been trying to make up for it since then. And despite what it may seem, he does mean a lot to me, as he does to you. But you are mistaken if you think that I'm being nice for his sake. I'm not. I've tried that same approach before with others and it failed. I'm being nice because you seem like an alright person to talk to."

Once finished, Helga simply went back to writing on her notebook.

Gabriela was again surprised. Although Rodrigo had warned her that Helga is not always what she seems, she had to see it for herself in order to believe it. Gabriela was beginning to understand why Rodrigo would always defend her, even when she makes a mistake; she would eventually own up to it. Even more so, she was beginning to see why there is something worth in being her friend. Although she was still not sure if she wanted to be friends with her, she nevertheless finally gave her the benefit of the doubt.

"Thanks for understanding. I'm beginning to see why Rodrigo considers you as a good friend." Gabriela said to Helga while smiling.

Helga simply smiled back.

**Later that evening...**

_Life can be very unfair at times. Rodrigo celebrates one of his friends in having moved to Hillwood, while I am still wishfully thinking for your return. I have to be flat out honest with you Arnoldo, this unfairness sometimes gets to be a bit overwhelming, something I find hard to cope with it. Nevertheless, Helga G. Pataki remains standing, pushing through life. I only hope I come to terms with it very soon._

_I was able to talk to Rodrigo's friend; she doesn't seem too bad and not that annoying. She is not the type of girl you want to push around though. You know how I am when meeting new people, so take this as a breakthrough. I wasn't even this nice with Rodrigo. I'm sure the Latino boy will talk more about her in his letters. _

_Speaking of friends, you seem to be making new ones over there, finally. Hope you don't get too comfortable with them and forget about us, football head. If need be, we'll fly over there and straighten you out. We haven't been sending you letters all these years just so you can move on. we will remain a constant reminder of your past life._

_Your reminder,_

_Helga G. Pataki._

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**Just a few responses to some reviews:**

**UloveME143: Thank you! That is exactly what I was going for: to allow Helga to discover more of herself without Arnold. That's why I wrote this story as part of the Patakis spinoff. Craig Barlett had the same reason for making that setting; to allow for more of Helga's character to develop and essentially 'grow up'. And I do agree with you that if they ever confirm the spinoff, this is what I would also like to see.**

**I'm afraid the very reason why this story is not popular (not trying to sound arrogant here) is due to the fact that I am somewhat breaking canon here. Introducing Rodrigo and getting him to help Helga with her issues instead of Arnold can be a bit farfetched. It's understandable for people to be suspicious of such work and for those that do read it, most likely have a "Ok, I'll read it, but this better be good!" kind of mentality. We all have that, including me. But I'm hoping that with the many wide themes and concepts that I am incorporating into the story and with the ending that I am planning for, it can hopefully be popular. We'll see.**


	21. Chapter 21 - Transference

**Hi everyone! In this chapter, Phoebe and Rodrigo begin their research about Helga's feelings for Rodrigo. Is it an unconscious phenomenon, or are her feelings genuine? What do they find? **

**I would also like to thank empressakura655 for introducing to me the concept of tsundere and for inspiring me to write this chapter!**

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**During Psychology class...**

Rodrigo was barely listening to his teacher during his psychology class. No, he wasn't even doing that anymore. He was bored. Having a keen interest in psychology, Rodrigo had already read through the entire textbook before the new year came. Even more so, he already knew about the many psychological concepts, theories and its well known intellectuals. There was nothing exciting about being in this class, or so he thought.

As he continued playing with his pencil, something caught his attention when his teacher started talking about Freud's theory of transference.

"Just so everyone is aware of this concept, in case some of you have not yet read this chapter, transference is the process of when a patient redirects his/her own emotion towards a person or object, whether it is love, hate or anger, to the therapist. Essentially, the therapist becomes a substitute for the patient's conscious or unconscious emotional affections towards a person or object. By this way, Freud speculated that via transference, the therapist is now in a position to discuss with the patient, these emotional affections out in the open." the teacher explained.

Rodrigo lifted his head and began to listen attentively to the teacher.

"Now it should be warned, that despite this major breakthrough, there can be severe setbacks during the therapeutic process. For one thing, the therapist is also vulnerable to project his/her emotional affections of a person towards the patient, which in this case, is called counter-transference. In addition, attempting to discuss and penetrate the unconscious via this root can be tricky. The patient can be even more resistant to the therapeutic process, or can even open up repressed emotions that tend to be extreme, such as violence or extreme obsession. Also, because now the patient is emotionally invested onto his/her therapist, the therapist is in a position of power since the therapist, now being the source of the patient's love and affection, can heavily influence the patient. This is why there are various psychoanalytic associations that monitor the therapist's behaviour and methods, to ensure the therapists does not abuse this position of power." The teacher continued to explain.

Rodrigo thought about this and instantly recognized a connection between himself, Arnold and Helga. The only difference was that Rodrigo was not a therapist, but can transference still occur? He lifted his hand up to task his teacher this question.

"Yes Rodrigo?" the teacher acknowledged him again.

"Sir, can transference also happen outside of therapy, such as among friends or even between classmates? Can it happen accidently?" he asked him.

"Well in the strictest sense, transference only occurs in therapy, as the definition of transference is strictly between a patient and the therapist. However, this type of behaviour does frequently occur outside of therapy. I would even argue that it is sometimes how two people meet and fall in love. Now this also occurs unconsciously. This is not something that the patient, or any person, willing projects his/her emotional affection from one person onto the other." The teacher replied.

"Can the person who projects his/her emotions, even if the process is out of their control, be aware that this happening?" Rodrigo continued to ask.

"Yes, the person can be aware that this is happening. Think of it this way, if a person who once loved someone due to some particular traits, then loses that person and then meets another person who also have those same positive traits, that person is aware that the reason why he/she fell in love with this second person is due to him/her having the same traits that his/her previous lover had. That does not necessarily mean that the person is hallucinating or is imagining that that person IS his/her former lover, but based on what we know, that is sometimes how the brain works." The teacher explained.

"Are there different types of transferences?" Rodrigo asked again.

"Yes, and I was just getting to that." He began to explain, as he started looking at the rest of the class. "There is positive transference, where the patient projects good emotions, such as love, sympathy and affections towards the therapist. Then there is also negative transference, where the patient projects anger, hatred, fear onto the therapist. There is also sexualized transference, where the patient projects any sexualized fantasy onto the therapist. For instance, since the therapist is already in a position of authority, the patient can begin to fantasize the therapist in a type of sexualized BDSM."

Some of the students then instantly laughed or giggled at the last thing the teacher said.

Ignoring their laughter, Rodrigo then instantly raised his hand again and said,

"Sorry sir, just one more question. Is there a way for the therapist, or any person to reduce, if not to cease transference from happening?"

"Well that can be tricky. In psychoanalytic practice, most therapists would not want to prevent transference from occurring, as it prevents both parties from having a more meaningful and open relationship. But if you are referring to outside the therapy session, transference is nothing more than then one person falling for another person, so treat it as that. If the second person does not have the same feelings for the other person, then that second person can either A) simply be honest and say 'No I don't have feelings for you, B) ignore/do not respond to their advances, C) cease all communication with them." The teacher explained.

Rodrigo then allowed the teacher to continue the class, as he pondered about his relationship with Helga.

_I need to go to the library and research more on this._ He thought.

Ever since Helga's discussion with Phoebe on December 26, Phoebe wasted no time in going to full force with her research. Unlike Rodrigo, Phoebe had long suspected of Helga possibly projecting of her love and affections of Arnold to Rodrigo. Yet, she had underestimated how strong and how fast the process was. She had calculated that due to Helga's strong love for Arnold, she would have time to do her research. She was personally amazed at how fast it was occurring and knew that she needed to step on it.

The second she returned to school, she went straight to the library to do her research. Although she did not provide Gerald any details on why she needed to go to the library, she had informed him that she will be spending more time at the library due to her school work and to help Helga out with class. However, her research was hampered by the lack of psychological and psychoanalytic books at the school library. To her surprise, the librarian kept stating that someone had also taken a keen interest in this subject and was routinely checking them out. Frustrated, she gathered what little books were left and proceeded with her research.

**A week since school started...**

During lunchtime, Phoebe went straight to the library to finish her research. She just needed one book. It was on Sigmund Freud's and Carl Jung's theories on transference. When she asked the librarian, she was happy to hear that it was still available and once she gave her the location of where it was located, she rushed to grab it.

"Let's see, it is on aisle P, on the right side..." Phoebe muttered to herself as she walked.

Once she approached aisle P, she walked in and immediately started looking for the book. Unbeknownst to her, someone else was also in the same aisle looking for the same book. As the two teens got closer and closer, they failed to notice each other, until both of them saw the book and attempted to grab it. As they did so, they accidently collided with themselves. However, it was only a mild collision. Phoebe looked up and was surprised to find that she collided with Rodrigo.

"Oh Phoebe, I'm sorry I didn't see you there. Are you OK?" he whispered her.

"Yes, I am thank you. I'm sorry, I didn't see you either." she responded back quietly.

They then both turned to face the same book and instantly recognized that they both needed it.

"Umm do you need this book, Phoebe?" Rodrigo asked her.

"Yes I do, it's for an assignment for one of my classes." Phoebe lied.

She then saw some of the other books that Rodrigo had in his hand and noticed that they were all psychology books. Although she knew that he had a psychology class, she had a sense that he was not reading these books for his class, nor for his pleasure. Due to previous conversations with him, she was aware of his observant nature, as well as his intimate knowledge of Helga's past and behaviour. She wouldn't be surprised if the almost kissing scene was also bothering him and. If anything, she was expecting it. Phoebe agreed with Helga that Rodrigo was more mature and intelligent than her peers. In addition, considering that Helga trusted him, Phoebe was comfortable in prompting him with the following question,

"Are you here for Helga?" she bluntly asked him.

Rodrigo was a bit surprised by Phoebe's directness, but he was not surprised that she suspected him of being concerned over what happened during Christmas. If anything, he was glad that Phoebe touched upon this.

_Hm, maybe Phoebe can help me with this. She knows Helga better than anyone. I just hope she is able to open up to discuss this with her._ He thought.

"Yes, I am." he confessed. "I'm assuming you are here for the same reason?"

Phoebe nodded.

"I'm also assuming that she told you what happened on Christmas day at the park?" he asked.

Again, Phoebe nodded.

"How did she handle it?" he asked.

"Alright. She had some difficulty comprehending it, but she managed through." she confessed.

"I'll level with you Phoebe. I'm not happy that this happened. Not that I don't think Helga is not a great girl. I just didn't think this would ever happen, given that she in a relationship with Arnold. I'm just here to understand how this ended up happening and to see what ways I can prevent it from progressing. I don't want to hurt her; that's the last thing that I want to do." he confessed.

_Hm, perhaps we can work together on this. This will allow me to see what his thoughts are and also provide an extra opinion on the matter_. She thought.

"I concur Rodrigo and I'm actually glad to hear you say that. I am no professional on this, but I did promise Helga that I would help her with this. I am wondering if perhaps we can work together and put our findings in one conclusion. I believe this way, we can perhaps help Helga on how she should deal with this. I can provide her with certain guidelines and advice, while you will be aware of what you can do ease these emotional affections from getting stronger." she said.

"Ok sure. Sounds great." said Rodrigo.

Both found an empty glass room where they can speak privately on this matter. They went inside, sat down and immediately got to work.

"So what have you found thus far?" Phoebe asked.

"Honestly, not much. I only recently started doing my research this week. I was in my psychology class when my teacher spoke about Freud's concept of transference. It then occurred to me that the same behaviour of how a patient projects her emotional affection onto her therapist, seems to follow a familiar path between Helga and myself. What about you?" he said.

"It is the same with me. But I found another concept that I believe is more in line with Helga's feelings for you; displacement." she said.

"Displacement? Isn't that when a person moves his/her emotions from an unacceptable object onto a less threatening one? Freud's concept?" he asked.

"Precisely and it makes sense. With Helga's situation, she is in a relationship with Arnold, but he moved away more than two years ago and he hasn't returned to even visit. I believe this long-distance relationship may have become relatively unacceptable for her. When she met you, she unconsciously displaced her emotional affections from Arnold onto you." she explained.

"I have read some of Freud's theories, but it does not necessarily explain why she did so with you. I am aware that due to you bearing strikingly similar traits with Arnold, she may 'see' him in you and naturally, displaced her emotional affections. But I am not sure how an idea and emotions are connected." she asked.

"I think I can answer that." said Rodrigo. "Are you familiar with the works of the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan?"

Phoebe shook her head.

"Well Lacan was a Freudian psychoanalyst, but his difference was his introduction of language into psychoanalytic thought. This guy is extremely difficult to understand so I won't go into details, other than what we are talking about. Basically with displacement, he theorized that emotions are transferred from one object to another via language. Our emotions are nothing more than cathexis, or emotional energy that burst through randomly at every direction. What makes them align to focus on a particular object or a series of objects, is via language. Language literally structures our emotions into specific pathways. So the affections we have for our family and friends was made via the language that we utilize when describing how we feel about these people and describing how they feel about us, how they talk to us, how we talk to them and how we behave towards each other, etc etc. Basically, by structuring our emotions, we get an 'idea' of a particular person or thing. Ideas are not just rational thoughts. They are emotional too; about how we feeling about them. Language too is driven by this cathexis, it allows linguistic pathways to form. Both language and cathexis need each other in order to exist. Language needs this cathexis as the driving force for rational pathways to form and make emotional connects, but also cathexis needs language in order to bring it a kind of stability and allow its outbursts to be channeled appropriately." he explained.

Phoebe thought about this for a moment.

"So you are saying that this idea of you 'being like Arnold', the personality and traits, allowed another pathway for her emotions to travel through?" she asked.

"Yes, exactly. This is all unconscious, mind you. And even though she may 'see' Arnold in me, I seriously doubt she is hallucinating. Both Lacan and Freud never stated that if transference or displacement occurred, then their patients are delusional. This happens all the time in our society and in many cases, it is a defensive mechanism. Helga's case is no different." said Rodrigo.

"Which brings me a concern. I'm not sure why this concerns me , but I am not sure if her displacing her feelings from Arnold to me is nothing more than a defense mechanism, or if is this a genuine development of feelings for me? I am hoping if you can perhaps enlighten me on this." he continued.

Phoebe hesitated for a moment about his question. If she answered, she would have to divulge a lot of information about what she and Helga has spoken about. After thinking about this, she relented.

"Well, based on what she said, I am in the position to believe that she may in fact be developing feelings for you, albeit less passionate than when she fell in love with Arnold." she said.

"How so?" he said.

Phoebe began to feel uncomfortable about proceeding with this. She had never ventured this far into revealing what she and Helga talk about, much less about Helga's own personal feelings and opinions. Even with Rodrigo, who already knows more about her than her peers, she was still not sure if she should continue.

Sensing Pheobe's uncomfortability, he reassured her.

"Pheebs, you can rest assured that whatever we discuss here, will not be repeated elsewhere. This will be stay between us. I am not here to gossip about Helga, I just want to understand her so I can be better prepared to deal with this development, that's all."

Phoebe then relented.

"When Helga first met Arnold, she instantly fell in love with him. Arnold was her first love, so it is natural that it would be an intense and passionate one. With you, she has described being drawn to you. Yet unlike with Arnold, she had not yet developed any of the usual indications of when a person has strong feelings for someone; you know, the 'butterflies in your stomach' or getting nervous around this person, the fast heartbeat, etc. Yet she has told me that whenever you dance with someone, she begins to experience feelings of anger and jealousy. They subside when you stop dancing with the girl. What's more, she has stated that whenever she sees you, she gets happy and always looks forward to seeing you. Although she does not look like it, she has told me that she tries to see or hang out with you as often as possible. Yet, she is right now in a position where she cannot decidedly act on what course to take. Based on how she feels for Arnold she is not sure if she developing feelings for you or not." she said.

Rodrigo was stunned about all of this, especially the jealousy part.

"When did she first experience being jealous?" he asked.

"On Rhonda's Halloween party. You started dancing with someone while Helga went to the bathroom. At first, she thought she was only feeling this way because she felt you were regretting asking her to go with you. However, there had been other times when she saw you dancing with other girls, and the same feelings re-emerged." she explained.

"Is she jealous of Gabriela?" he asked.

"Initially she was, but after talking to her, those feelings subsided because she felt that Gabriela was 'not a threat'." she explained.

"What did you mean when you said that Helga 'feels drawn to me'?" he asked again.

"I am not really sure. She herself has had problems specifying what she means by that. But from what she was able to explain to me, she trust you enough where she feels she can talk to you. She has also told me that she has a deep desire to wanting to get to know you. Yet she has never gone through any romantic trance. However, despite her confusion, I am convinced that she is developing feelings for you. Romantic feelings don't need to appear suddenly and intensely. I know this because Arnold didn't develop feelings for Helga as fast as she did. It took him a while for him to realize it. It was a gradual process. I think this is what is occurring between you and her." she explained.

"I concur Phoebe. Based on what you have said, it does appear that Helga is starting to develop feelings for me. In psychology I believe it is called compassionate love, developed by Elaine Hatfield. Helga is at a stage where she has developed a deep sense of trust in me. Even though she doesn't reveal it, I can tell based on the way she talks to me and even looks at me, she deeply cares me and for the past few months, has been making a big attempt in getting to know me. I think with Arnold, it is more passionate love, that deep longing for someone. Although she didn't give me any details, she told me that before they got together, she would often fantasize about him; not sexually but romantically. And the feelings that she experienced with him were very intense." he said.

"Hm, that's interesting. But are you suggesting that Helga's love for Arnold never matured into compassionate love?" she asked.

"No, I think it was in the process of maturing into compassionate love. Arnold's departure interrupted that process. She told me that in the last years before he left, their relationships started to become more stable and more intimate." he said.

"Yes, that's true. Even though it was still rocky, I remember that in the last years, they needed less of our help to cope with their issues. I remember on many occasions when all four of us would get together and just relax and enjoy ourselves. Even Helga told me on a few occasions that things were finally starting to settle down." she confirmed.

"But with me, it is somewhat reversed. It seems that Helga skipped the passionate love phase entirely and proceeded with compassionate love." he said.

"Well, that's not really surprising. Since she is still in a relationship with Arnold, it would make sense why she is experiencing compassionate love with you. Since the process from passionate to compassionate was never completed, She must have retained her passionate love for Arnold, while developing compassionate love for you." she explained.

"So you are saying that she technically likes two guys?" he asked.

"I'm afraid so." she confirmed with a worried and sad look.

There was now a moment of silence between the teens as they pondered about this. Neither were liking the prospect of Helga liking two guys. Rodrigo especially was feeling very uncomfortable and guilty that he was inadvertently 'stealing' Arnold's girlfriend. He then began to think about his own feelings, but he was interrupted when Phoebe asked him a question.

"Rodrigo, if I may ask, what are you feelings towards Helga? Are you feelings reciprocal?"

Rodrigo now became even more uncomfortable. Phoebe was Gerald's girlfriend and Rodrigo was afraid that she might inform Gerald, whom he may inform Arnold about Rodrigo's own feelings.

"Pheebs, I know we both promised we would not tell a living soul about this, but I must insist that you keep this matter a secret, especially from Gerald and Arnold. I do not want to cause any problems for them, nor do I want to come between Arnold and Helga. Please promise me that you will not reveal this to them." he said with a serious tone in his voice.

Phoebe was not liking where this was going and was fearing the worst. Yet before succumbing to any rash conclusion, she promised Rodrigo and allowed him to explain first.

"OK. I'm not in love with Helga, but I can't say for sure if I do not like 'like' her. I have noticed only recently that whenever she gets close to me and starts being nurturing, sympathetic or just worried around me, I get very nervous. When I am in this position, my heart starts beating fast, I start to getting sweaty and I feel that my knees might give way. The first time it happened was when Helga and I had to decorate the Christmas at the boarding house. I'm sure Helga had already told you that I started working there part-time." he wanted to confirm.

Phoebe nodded. Rodrigo continued.

"Ok, we had an accident and I accidently bumped into Helga and she fell on me, hurting me. When she saw that lip was bleeding, she immediately grabbed the tissue and started wiping the blood off of my face and neck. With the way she doing it and all of a sudden being nurturing and worried, I started getting nervous. Apart from never seeing her like this, I realized that I liked it; I liked that Helga was being so caring and concerned about me. It was...very sweet to see her like that. The same thing happened on Christmas day at the park, after she slapped me. Again I felt uncomfortable and when I looked towards her directions, we both locked eyes and just stared at each other. I don't know her, but I completely lost myself when I gazed her eyes. She has very beautiful eyes..." he concluded with an almost love struck grin.

"Have those feelings gotten stronger since then?" she asked.

"I'm not sure..." he said.

Rodrigo then stopped talking and thought for a moment. After a short while, he then asked Phoebe a question.

"Have you ever heard of the term tsundere?"

" Yes, I have. I am half Japanese, you know." she said, feeling a bit offended by Rodrigo's question.

"Right, sorry about that Phoebe." he apologized while blushing.

"Not to worry. Please continue." she reassured him with a smile.

"Right, well you know this Japanese term has been applied to describe someone who is initially cold or hostile (tsun) before gradually showing his/her warmer, friendlier side (dere) as time passes. This describes Helga's personality to a T. Where I am going with this is not the person who has this type of personality, but the person who meets a tsundere. From what I have read, this personality conjures up a type of reward system." he started to explain.

"How so?" Phoebe asked.

"When a person meets a tsundere, their expectations tend to be basic, if not low, with the way a tsundere receives people, which is usually cold and distant, if not hostile. Because a tsundere's greetings are usually that, the person would have no expectation for it to be any better. Why would he? However, if that person, for whatever the reason, decides to stick around, a tsundere would eventually begin to show her warmer and friendlier side. This amounts to a type of 'reward' or 'gain' for having to stick around and endure the tsundere's initial cold or hostility. Psychologically, a person may feel 'rewarded' and will not only continue to form a more lasting relationship with a tsundere, but may also begin to be attracted to that tsundere as the rewarding becomes more and more pronounced. Psychologically, a tsundere has the characteristics of being highly independent, opinionated, strong, yet also being vulnerable, loving, caring and sympathetic, but it tends to vary by person. Some are more pronounced or more extreme than others. At the very least in the West, a tsundere is becoming more and more valued because I think you have two of the best qualities from both sides."

"Helga is not the first person whom I met who has this type of personality and behaviour. My mom and Gabriela are a bit like that, so I have a lot of experience in dealing with tsunderes. But Helga is by far, one of the toughest tsunderes that I have ever met. Even before I met her, I was already aware that I like this type of personality, even if it can become frustrating at times to deal with it. Because not many people are willing to stick around with a tsundere long enough to them to show their warmer, friendlier side, these types of people tend to be loners, or people with very little friends who are generally poorly understood. As a person who is somewhat of an outcast, I know what that is like and so I sympathize with them. But this is the first time where I am feeling to be attracted to a tsundere. And I believe Arnold may have also been influenced by Helga as a tsundere. But because he had to endure many years of Helga's bullying, it took him a really long time for him to realize his feelings. It was only by Arnold's optimism and patience that he was able to stick around long enough for Helga to eventually start showing her more loving side to him." he explained.

"So what you are saying is that, due to this reward of Helga showing her friendlier and more loving side, you believe you are finding her more and more attractive?" she asked.

"Yes." Rodrigo confirmed, albeit a bit shamefully. "Thus far, I am able to control it so I am not too concerned. But I am also very skeptical in discouraging Helga from showing her dere (lovey-dovey) side. It is not just the psychological reward, but I just don't want to continue to having to endure her tough exterior all the time; it can be exhausting."

"How is it that you are able to control your emotions?" she asked.

"Well on Christmas, after the whole almost kissing scene happened, we left the park and I walked her home. Before she went inside, she gave me a kiss on the cheek where she previously slapped me. I felt nothing when she kissed me. I didn't get uncomfortable, I didn't get nervous or anything like that. I think that it is because kissing is part of my culture and since I have kissed a lot of girls on the cheek, non-romantically speaking, I didn't interpret Helga's kiss to be anything romantic, nor unusual. But as I thought more about this, I realize that it is also perhaps that me being attracted to her is still in its infancy. Like Helga, I don't really think about her when I am alone, nor do I fantasize about her. When I see her, I'm glad but it is not, at least for me, anything romantic. It is the same as when I see Gerald, you or anyone else." he explained.

"But it is still there." she pointed it out.

"Yes." he confirmed. "Which brings me to the big question; what can I or her do to ensure these feelings to not get stronger?"

"Rodrigo, how far are you willing to go to ensure that?" Phoebe asked her.

Rodrigo thought about it for a moment. His face became serious, if not somewhat sad.

"If need be, I'm willing to see her less, whether it is at school or outside. At its most extreme, if the situation becomes dire and hopeless, then I am willing to cut all ties with her."

"But how are you willing to do that if you are friends with everyone? You will have to see her eventually." she said.

"Yes, which is why I do not want to have to go down that path. I would imagine we would still hang out, but it would no longer be just us. The only reason why we would see each other would be if everyone got together. Other than that, we would not see each other, much less talk to one another, at least until our feelings for each other subsides." he explained.

"What if Helga decides to cut all ties with you?" she asked.

"Then all ties will be cut. I'll have to accept it and I would understand if she needs to do that. I would find bitterly disappointed in having lost a good friend, but there would be nothing I can do if she decides to do that." he confirmed.

"I'm not really concerned for myself." he continued to talk with a sad look on his face. "In its worst case, if I have to leave this group for the sake of unity, I will. It would suck, it would hurt, but I'm willing to do that to ensure this group remains united. I know that I'll find other friends if it comes to that. I'm more concerned for Helga. I'm afraid if word of this gets out and if the situation does call for us to sever ties, how would our friends respond? I would imagine they would try to come to a compromise, but I'm afraid that if the situation gets really bad, I'm afraid they might support me rather than Helga."

"Why would you think that?" she asked.

" I'll be blunt, Phoebe; Helga's not well liked by our friends. Gerald doesn't like her, you know that. I had a talk with the boys last year and I was not thrilled about their opinions of Helga. They didn't say anything mean or bad about her, but I was able to understand clearly why their relationship with her is strained. If you think about it rationally, whom would you support; someone you like, or someone that you don't like? I DO NOT want it to get to that point." he said firmly

Phoebe now realized the danger of the situation. This was no longer a case about just Helga and Arnold's relationship. This can spill out and include everyone and can influence the entire group. Rodrigo's warning was not lost to her, nor did she think he was exaggerating. She knew very well how distant Helga was with everyone and people like Gerald, have still not yet forgiven her for her past transgressions. She was not even sure how Gerald would react to this. As she thought more about this, she became more determined to solve this situation.

"Then it is safe to say, Rodrigo, that it is best if you and Helga spend less time together. I still believe both of you should still hang out together, but it should not be as often as it was once." she spoke calmly.

"I agree, we can start with that. At the very least, I can allow Helga to make the decision to hang out alone with me. I would no longer take any initiative in doing so. That way, it should make things more comfortable for her and allow for these feelings to subside. You can also help by giving your opinion if you feel she is spending too much time with me." he said.

"Agreed." she confirmed.

"Phoebe, is there any future plans that Helga and Arnold made for each other? Do you know if or when Helga is every going to see him again and where would they reside? Here in Hillwood or in San Lorenzo, if he is still there?" he asked.

Phoebe simply gave him a sad facial expression and said, "I wish that was the case, but there is no such plans in place. As it stands, they are simply, umm what is the slang term for it? Is it playing it by ear?" she asked.

"Yeah, that's the slang term." Rodrigo confirmed.

"Right. We don't even know if Arnold still be attending any college or university institution in the U.S. or elsewhere. It has been like this since he left. Their future right now has been put on hold and Helga has merely been focusing extensively on the present; just getting by." she said.

"That's horrible, Phoebe! Why would Arnold drag Helga like this? Isn't he aware of what she has been going through these past two years? Has anyone mentioned this to him?" he asked with a raised voice.

"No, we haven't. We know that Arnold has been stressed out with the constant moving and the lack of friends, so we reframed from telling him how badly we took it when he left, and about Helga's situation. Helga also requested this from us, so even if we wanted to, out of respect for her, we have not said anything to Arnold." she said.

Rodrigo just looked at Phoebe in complete astonishment. He saw the whole irony of the situation; to prevent from either hurting Arnold or Helga, no one has told Arnold about Helga's situation, which has only caused her to be hurt more. It is unclear how Arnold would have reacted, but Rodrigo suspected that even if Arnold knew about Helga's situation, he would be unable to do anything about it. As it stands, he was completely unaware of this, with only Helga taking the full brunt of it.

Rodrigo simply sighed in frustration. As far as he was concerned, this whole thing was crazy.

"Ok, so it is agreed, I will reframe from making any initiatives to hang out with Helga alone and leave that decision to her." he said as he refocused the conversation back to the topic at hand.

"Yes." she confirmed. "There is just one unresolved issue; what does the therapist do once he has achieved transference? That is why I was looking for this book, to see if it can dispel that."

"Same here, let's take a look at it." said Rodrigo, he opened the book and both teens examined it.

After sometime, both Rodrigo and Phoebe looked at a certain section of the book where Freud offers advice on how a therapist should use transference. Needless to say, what Rodrigo read, egoistically speaking, disappointed him.

"Hm, interesting." Phoebe remarked. "It says here that Freud advices all therapists that when they achieve transference with their patient, they should remind them that these feelings do not apply to them, nor do they originate from their therapeutic relationship. Rather, the patient is merely repeating an affect relating to a prior relationship."

"So then, based on Freud's advice, the therapist is merely a substitution for the patient's original object/person to project his feelings towards." commented Rodrigo.

"It would seem so. Freud considered sublimation, this tendency to convert unacceptable feelings or impulses into socially acceptable ones, with the therapist to be nothing more than a copy for the original person/object."

Rodrigo was now more confused and frustrated. He had thought that they have concluded that Helga had developed genuine feelings for him. But now, after reading this section, it is heavily suggesting that the Rodrigo is nothing more than a mere copy for Helga to project her emotions to.

"But if that is the case, then Helga does not genuinely have feelings for me. She doesn't like me for me, she likes me only what I represent to her; Arnold. And if that is the case, then we should attempt to take a different approach. Instead of prohibiting her from me, perhaps I or we should remind her whom she really loves. I can do this by reminding her how I much I actually differ from Arnold. That way, she may then cease her displacement." he explained.

"I see your point Rodrigo, but I'm afraid I'm not convinced by this. I still believe she is developing genuine feelings for you. At the very least, it may have started out that way; you being a mere copy, but at some point, it must have matured." She countered.

"Can you provide an example or evidence that would support your hypothesis?" he asked.

Phoebe remained silent and thought about it, rubbing her chin with her fingers. Finally after some time, she spoke.

"Well, she has told me that you are a person that likes to be 'everywhere'. For example, your taste in music is vast; it ranges from country music, to rap, to Latin music to classical music. She has also mentioned your personality tends to be dualistic. You can be patient and sympathetic with some people, but with others, you can be direct, assertive and inpatient. Normally, she would have found this to be frustrating, if not overwhelming. Yet with you, she had confirmed with me that she likes that about you, since you tend to be flexible on how to deal with various people and situations, including her. One of the reasons why she and Arnold would often clashed was because they were both inflexible; they were both on the extreme spectrum of things and often had a difficult time agreeing on something." she explained.

"I see. Are there any other ones?" he asked.

"Well, she is not a touchy-type of person. Yet with you, she does not have a problem in being physically close to you, whether it is dancing, or embracing each other. She informed me that you have hugged her a few times unexpectedly early on and instead of chastising you for it, she accepted it. I know for a fact that unless you are really close to her, she will not allow you to touch her." she continued.

Rodrigo still remained unconvinced, but relented to Phoebe's analysis.

_She knows Helga better than anyone. She would not lie to me, not if she wants to help her._ He thought_._

"Ok, fine, we'll proceed with what we agreed on. However, I would like to add an alteration to the plan. I should not just reframe from spending time with her alone. I think I should implicitly state to her that I am her friend and I believe I can do that by ensuring that not only will no boundaries be crossed, but also do what friends usually do; support each other. By support, I don't just mean with each other. I am also referring to the support of her feelings for Arnold. Meaning that I should attempt to reinforce it towards him and less on me."

"How do you propose to do that?" She asked.

"Well, by reminding her of him whenever she brings it up. I can also attempt to support her about a future with him, even if there are no plans for them to even have one. Essentially, what it takes to transfer all of these feelings that she is developing for me right back to Arnold."

"That does sound like good plan. Ok, we can do that as well." she said with a smile.

Just then the bell rang, signalling the end of their lunchtime. Both teens quickly packed everything up and started to leave the glass box. As soon as they got out, Rodrigo then said to Phoebe,

"Phoebe, I think it's best if you don't say anything to Helga that we met up to discuss this. I don't think she will take it well."

"I agree Rodrigo. I will reframe from anything to her about our meeting. I just hope this works." she said.

The two teens then left the library, said their goodbyes and went to class.

**The next day after school...**

Phoebe acknowledged to Helga that she completed her research and asked if they can go to her room to discuss it. As soon as school ended, both teens went straight to Helga's house, went up to her room and began.

As promised, Phoebe said nothing about her meeting with Rodrigo, but she did not omit any of the research that she found with him. Helga sat quietly, listening attentively to Phoebe's lecture. Phoebe didn't bother with the details, and went straight to the point. She confirmed with Helga that she was indeed developing feelings for Rodrigo and recommended the following: She needed to spend less time with Rodrigo, but not up to the point where she is avoiding him. She also needed to start focusing about his faults, rather than focusing on his positive traits. Thirdly, Helga needed to remind herself that Rodrigo is nothing more than a friend and to discourage her feelings, she needed to always treat him as such. This meant she could not do anything with him that would allow either of them cross any boundaries, as what happened during Christmas, nor do anything romantic with him. Helga had no issue doing of these recommendations, except for the final one; she needed to discuss with Arnold about what the future holds for them. This way, Phoebe hoped this will help Helga readjust her feelings from Rodrigo, back to Arnold.

"Umm, thanks Pheebs for the recommendations. I'll be sure to put them into effect." she said nervously.

Phoebe however, was suspicious of Helga's response. She started giving her a suspicious look.

"What?" she asked her Asian best friend.

"Helga, there is something that you are not telling me." she said.

"What? Pfft, no I'm not." she said while trying to sound confident, but Phoebe wasn't buying it.

"Helga." she said sternly.

"Ok, ok. You need not tell me about confirming my feeling for Rodrigo. I already knew them to be true. You mentioned on Boxing Day that I should tell Dr. Bliss about this and I did. She also came up with the same conclusion; I had genuine feelings for Rodrigo. I asked for your help because, I was hoping you would give me a different opinion." she said sadly while also pouting.

_What?! she already knew of this and didn't tell me anything?! This was a waste!_ She thought irritatingly.

"But if you and Dr. Bliss came up with the same conclusion, why did you need a second opinion?" she asked, trying to hide her irritation.

"Because I can't stand to lose him Pheebs, ok?! Rodrigo is one of the few friends that I have, and now, fate has decided to play its cruel tricks on me yet again, and I am now falling for him. How do you think that makes me feel? This is some cruel joke! Not only am I now panicking about having feelings for someone else, but I am now at risk in losing a friend!" she exclaimed while panting.

"I'm sorry Pheebs, I didn't mean to yell at you. You are the smartest person that I know and I was hoping that you would be able to find...a different way. I don't know why I thought so. I just can't seem to have any peace of mind in my life! I can no longer enjoy my time with Rodrigo as a friend. I now have to watch my every move, every word I say to him to not encourage my feelings from developing any further! Rodrigo is no longer a benefit, but is now a burden! What was the point in having him in my life, only to risk losing him as a friend?! Please tell me that Pheebs!" she continued to exclaim almost hysterically.

Phoebe understood Helga's frustration, but unfortunately had no answer to her question. She remained silent.

Helga simply throw herself on her bed, while putting her hand in face.

"Helga, you won't lose Rodrigo as a friend. He cares about you deeply and he will not allow this to get in the way with your friendship with him. I'm sure he will make the same amount of effort to ensure he does not come between you and Arnold." Phoebe tried to reassure her.

"You sound so sure." she said.

"I am. I have seen how two have bonded so fast, and how close you guys have become. He cherishes his friends and you are his friend and he will not do anything to hurt you." she continued.

"You just need to give it time for this to pass. In time, you will be with Arnold again and Rodrigo will still be by your side. And so will I."

"Thanks Pheebs," said Helga, as she extended her arm to grab Phoebe's hand.

After some further small talk, Phoebe said her goodbye and went home, having a lot of homework to catch up.

Helga continued to lie on her bed, feeling utterly frustrated and unable to move. She wished she could tell Phoebe about her actual relationship status with Arnold, but she was not yet ready to make it public. She was still resisting in coming to terms with it. As she continued to lay there, she pondered about her two options; either ensure things do not change and continue to keep the status quo, or...or perhaps...move on?

_No, I mustn't think that. I already lost him physically, I cannot lose him in my memories; that's all I have of him._ She thought sadly.

Helga also knew another reason why it has been so hard to come to terms with it. Loving Arnold had been so engrained into her, that her identity developed around it. No, it became her identity. Her entire existence had been to be with Arnold. But now that he is gone, Helga was having a difficult time in accepting the reality of having to dismantle this identity. Even more so, she felt that if she came to terms with it, then all the years of obsessing, of waiting for over him, of waiting to one day be with him, would have amounted to nothing. All that energy, all the creativity, all the bullying and the abuse that she inflicted on him, of going to San Lorenzo and almost getting killed, all of it would have been for nothing! Helga felt that she had invested too much of herself over the years to simply let it go.

_But what else can I offer? I have put everything into this and I have gained virtually nothing out of it. How much more can I go on? Why should I continue to invest in this? I am no longer with Arnold, he broke up with me, and yet, I still cannot let this go._ She thought bitterly,

No longer having the energy to continue thinking about this, she rolled around, found the letter for Arnold that she had started writing and proceeded to finish it.

_Arnold my dearest, here is my confession; I have never stopped loving you. Even after you broke up with me, I have remained not only faithful, but even hopeful of us being together again. I have been enduring this pain, this emptiness for almost three years. I can no longer bear it. It is slowly eroding me away from myself. As the days go by, I feel more and more hopeless, my faith slowly continues to erode away, my happiness, gone, my future, there never was one. What am I, but a wreck, empty shell of myself? What more can I do? What else is there for me to do? I am clinging on to a fantasy that had disappeared long ago. I am clinging on to an identity that was blown away by your flight almost three years ago. Again, what am I? Only a wind, a whisper of what once was...of what could have been._

Helga had to stop writing in order to wipe away tears that were falling down her eyes. It was just there when she finally made her decision.

_Yet, I am unable let you go, I mustn't let you go. You are all the drives me forward, the only thing that makes me get up in the morning. You are all I have left, football head. But I am now contemplating the impossible. I am now considering what only months prior, I thought I would never do; move on. I can no longer bear this torture. I am taking this first step: acknowledging my feelings for Rodrigo and now I am contemplating if I should follow up on them. _

_I am sorry my beloved. I am so sorry for making you endure all those years of bullying, of humiliation, only for me to move on. I am sorry for ever hoping to one day be with you. I hope you will one day forgive me._

_Love always,_

_Helga G. Pataki_

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**My reason for making this chapter is because I wanted to provide further insight into Helga's psychology and what she might be feeling, so I had Rodrigo team up with Phoebe in order to do this and to further give Phoebe more presence into this story. However, I also didn't want to patronize Helga, which is why it should not be surprising that Helga already knew about all of this; she just wasn't willing to admit it. But alas, Phoebe having drawn the same conclusion, she now has to come to terms with her feelings for Rodrigo. We shall see where that takes her.**


	22. Chapter 22 - School Dance

**Hi everyone! In this chapter, Helga wants to do something for Rodrigo to make up for all the things that she did to him. What does she do for him and where will this lead? **

* * *

As Helga wondered through the school hallway, she was in deep thought about her feelings for Rodrigo. Even if she acknowledged it to herself, that did not mean she should pursue him. She still loved Arnold, and having feelings for Rodrigo was only making things more difficult, if not confusing. It made her feel that she was betraying her beloved football head, yet she knew that that was irrelevant to the real situation. Even if she wasn't experiencing any feelings of betrayal, she was still not willing in leaving behind Arnold. Plus, she was not sure if Rodrigo felt the same way. She only had the Christmas incident as proof that they had a moment together, but for all she knew, it could have been just the heat in the moment, nothing more. Even more so, she had firmly stated to him that she had a boyfriend, which ensured that Rodrigo will not make any moves on her. So she couldn't count on him to give her any indication otherwise. It was up to her to take the initiative, if she chose to.

As she continued walking, she then decided to put these thoughts aside and focus on another priority; making it up to Rodrigo. Helga was not joking when she told Gabriela that she wanted to make up to him for not only helping her, but also for giving him a hard time during their first encounter. But she wasn't able to come up with anything. In the previous weeks, she had attempted to get to know him in order to see what his interests were. To her dismay, she realized that she was not going to be able to make it up to him by buying him any material goods.

Rodrigo was an anti-materialist and not only did he not like things that typical guys wanted, but whenever she indicated to him of perhaps buying him something, he flat out refused, even if this included a few books that she knew he would have liked. She soon gave up on buying him something and focused instead of perhaps doing something for him, but what?

**Meanwhile...**

The school has been organizing one of its yearly dances and it was fast approaching. When Rodrigo hear of it, he decided to ask Gabriela to be his date, seeing as how she was new to this school, he wanted to support her. After his experience with Helga at Rhonda's Halloween party, he was not particularly keen on asking her to go to the school dance with her. Besides, as part of his agreement with Phoebe, he was keeping his distance, not wanting to induce any of their feelings.

"Hey Gabriela, what's up?" Rodrigo asked Gabriela during one lunch time.

"Just the usual. How about you?" she asked back.

"Eh, different bottle, same wine." he replied back while smiling. "Listen, there is a school dance happening soon and I was wondering if you wanted to come with?"

"Ya, I heard, but sorry Rodrigo, I'm already going with someone else." she said.

"Whoa, really? That fast, you leave a brotha like that hanging?" he exclaimed sarcastically, although he was not exaggerating his surprise.

"Hahaha, ya. I guess you were too slow." she said jokingly, as she flickered his fedora hat.

"Alright, alright. No worries, I'll go alone." he said.

"Why don't you ask Helga to go with you?" she asked.

"Ummmm...no. Before you ask why, I think you know why." he said.

"Oh come on. I know she almost ruined your night at that party, but she managed to salvage it, didn't she? You said it yourself that you ended up having a good time with her." she replied back.

"Fancy seeing you taking her side. I thought you didn't like her." he said

"Just because we're not friends does not mean that I don't like her. We've been talking a bit in our literature class and honestly...she's alright." she said

"Well I'm glad to hear that. But going back to your question, ya I did have fun, but I felt she went there mostly because she was forced to. She is not fond of parties, or in dressing up and I don't want to force her again if she doesn't want to." he said.

"Besides, if I go solo, I get to dance with the other beautiful girls there." he said with a smile.

"Oh really? So why did you bother asking me?" she said with an annoying look.

"I wanted to support you, seeing as how you are new to this school. Besides, you know me hermanita; I always look on the bright side from the worst of situations."

**Meanwhile...**

While Rodrigo and Gabriela talked, Helga was with Phoebe, walking down the hallway. By now, they both heard of the school dance and Phoebe was excited about it.

"The school dance is fast approaching and Gerald has already asked me to come with him. I'm actually a bit excited for this year's dance. Gerald has been practicing a bit and I can't wait to see how he will dance with me!" her best friend exclaimed.

"That's nice Pheebs, I'm glad you'll be having fun there; you'll knock'em dead. I'm actually thinking of going myself this year." she said.

"Really? Oh that's wonderful Helga!" she exclaimed with a bright smile on her face.

Helga had never bothered to attend any of the school dances, despite her friends' insistence. Apart from never being fond of huge crowds and the loud noise, going to a dance was always a painful reminder of what she lost. However this year was different.

"Ya, I'm thinking of asking Rodrigo to come with me." she said.

Phoebe's smile quickly disappeared when she heard Rodrigo's name. This wasn't lost to Helga. She had intentionally mentioned it in order to see Phoebe's reaction and to get her opinion.

"Helga, I'm glad that you are thinking of coming to the school dance, but I don't think going with Rodrigo is a good idea. I must be honest here; I believe that is a counterproductive adventure." she said.

"I know Pheebs, but I'm not doing it for the fun. I have a reason as to why I want to ask him. You know that I almost ruined his night at Rhonda's Halloween party and throughout the months after that, he has helped me a lot. I told you how him taking me to the Linkin Park concert helped me regain my creativity to write again. I have been trying to come up with something to make it up to him and to say thank you for a while. I initially wanted to buy him something, but that kid is more humble than a Franciscan priest. Frankly, this is the only thing I was able to come up." she explained.

"I think that is very nice of you wanting to repay him, but I must insist on reminding you of the dangers of that enterprise. Going to the school dance might ignite more feelings for him and I thought you wanted to get rid of them." she said.

"I do, but I'm confident that I can keep them at bay for just one night with him. Heck, I did it with Arnold for years, and I was in love with him! I think I can manage this. Besides, I think this is more important right now than my feelings for him. I'm not going to let them get in the way of me enjoying our friendship."

_What did she mean when she said 'was in love with him?' Isn't she still in love with him?_ She thought. However, she decided not to inquire about this.

"Well, if you trust yourself to go through with this, then I support you. But if you need any advice or assistance, please tell me." she said.

"Thanks Pheebs, I'll keep that in mind." she said. Seeing Phoebe's reaction to her proposal, Helga intentionally hid a first part of her proposal. She knew that if she told her, she would not approve of it and would no doubt attempt to persuade her to end it. But Helga had already made up her mind that this is how she was going to repay Rodrigo.

**History class...**

When Helga arrived at their history class, she found Rodrigo already in his seat, reading. Trying to calm her nerves, she confidently walked towards her seat, and then sat down.

"Hey, Latino boy, what's baking?" she said.

"Nothing, just reading Jean-Jacques Rousseau's book, _The Social Contact._" he said.

"Fascinating, so listen." she began to talk quickly, before he got around to explaining what the book was about, which she honestly didn't care right now. "There is this school dance and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me? I've never gone before so this will be my first time."

Rodrigo immediately stopped reading and lifted his head to look at Helga with a stunned look on his face. But Helga wasn't done talking.

"But before we go there, I was also wondering, or rather I wanted to take you out for dinner if you're free." she said nervously.

_What the f***?!_ He thought. _She not only wants to go with me to the school dance but she wants to have dinner with me? What is this?_

To say that Rodrigo was surprised was an understatement. He was completely speechless and he had no idea what make of this. Why was Helga asking him to go to dinner with him? Not really sure where she was going with this, he was not willing to find out. Remembering his agreement with Phoebe about keeping his distance, he decided to decline her offer, but gently and hope she would not take it personally. Heck if she did, he can argue that he thought she wanted to ensure that no feelings would develop between them, and taking him to dinner and a school dance were not exactly neutral areas.

"That's very nice of you Helga, but I don't think that's a good idea..." he started to say before Helga cut him off.

"Look, I want to take you out to say thank you and to say I'm sorry." she quickly interjected. She knew he would decline and she was ready for it.

"Thank you and sorry for what?" he asked.

"Sorry for giving you a hard time during the first months, for almost getting you suspended and for almost ruining your night at Rhonda's Halloween party. I haven't forgotten. And thank you for...being a good friend and helping me out, especially for helping me regain my creativity and inspiration to write. You have no idea how much that meant to me." she said.

"Helga, I've already forgiven you for those things and you don't have to repay me for anything. That's what friends do..." he attempted to counter, but Helga again cut him off.

"Look, Latino boy," she said firmly, as she was starting to lose her patience and was not going to take no for an answer. "This is just one night of me showing my appreciation, that's it. Despite what it may appear to be, this is not a date, pure and simple. Seriously, don't make it a big deal than it really is." she said as started to frown at him a bit.

Rodrigo was still unsure of where Helga was going with this, but she did have a good point. This is a highly rare moment of her wanting to show her appreciation, a fact that you did not take lightly. Besides, despite his agreement with Phoebe, he did say that he would not go to any places with Helga unless she made the first step. Well that, and you just did not say no to Helga and expect to get away with it. Finally, Rodrigo relented.

"OK, sure. I accept. Where did you want to go to have dinner and what time?"

"The school dance starts at 8pm, so we're having dinner at 6pm at the Chez Paris. I've already made reservations." she said.

"You've already booked it, even before you asked me?" he asked with an amazed expression on his face.

"I like to plan ahead. And that's 6pm sharp, got it bucko? So don't be late. And it's the Chez Paris, not the Chez Pierre." she retorted.

"Sure thing Helga." he said.

Just then, the teacher came in and started class, prompting everyone to look at him and start their lecture.

**Night of the school dance...**

As Rodrigo was getting ready for his dinner with Helga, he couldn't help but feel nervous about it, despite Helga's assurance that it was not a date.

_I don't know why I'm so nervous. This isn't date. We're just going to have dinner as friends. We are not going to flirt, or kiss or do any of that crap. Damn it! This positive thinking is not working! I guess it must be because I'm still not sure how Helga feels about this. I know she does her best to hide her true intentions. I don't think she is lying when she said she wants to show her appreciation, but I can't be feel that there is something more to this story._ He thought.

Rodrigo put on his bright blue shirt and black pants with black formal shoes. He had wanted to bring his fedora hat, but considering that he had to take the bus to get to the restaurant, then to school, he decided against it and simply combed his black, thick hair. Once ready, he went downstairs, grabbed his jacket, then went to catch the bus to go to the restaurant. They had agreed to meet each other there.

Rodrigo made it to the restaurant early; it was 5:55pm. He went inside, informed the waiter of his reservation, then was escorted to their dinner table. Rodrigo sat down and simply ordered some water for the time being while he waited for Helga to arrive. He didn't have to wait long.

Helga arrived soon after Rodrigo. When he saw her, he almost choked on the water that he was sipping. He remained motionless as Helga approached him.

_Wow, she's so beautiful!_ He thought with his jaw hanging.

Helga wore a tight black dress that hanged up to her ankles, showing her curves. Her back was almost completely exposed, although Rodrigo wasn't able to see it. She wore a black leather jacket. She wore black semi-high heels. She wore little make-up, only some red lipstick and a bit of mascara. Most surprisingly, she had tied her hair up, allowing a great bulge to show, similar to how it was when she invited Arnold, Gerald and Phoebe to go to Chez Pierre in the fourth grade. So where was her pink bow?!

As she approached the table, Rodrigo was just staring her, admiring her beauty.

"Why don't you take a picture? It'll last longer." she said with a smirk as she sat down.

Getting out of his trance, "I did; mental picture." he replied back with his own smirk. "You look really beautiful, Helga."

"Quit flirting, Rodrigo" she retorted, but then added softly, "But thank you. You're not too shabby yourself."

"Thanks. You took off your bow?" he asked.

Helga simply opened a bit of her hair, showing her pink bow firmly inside it, confirming that it is still there.

The waiter then came by and gave them their menus.

"Bonsoir monsieur et mademoiselle. Voudriez-vous écouter les spéciaux que nous avons pour ce soir?" (Good evening sir and miss. Would you like to hear the specials that we have for this evening?) the waiter asked them.

Helga just looked at him and asked, "You still working here garçon?"

The waiter simply smiled and replied back.

"Ah Ms. Helga. Nice to see you again. It has been a while since we last saw you."

The waiter noticed that instead of being with Arnold, she was having dinner with someone else, but the waiter dare not ponder about it.

"Likewise monsieur. Then I would like to have the usual, s'il vous plait." she said, as she handed back her menu to him.

"Très bien. And for the young gentleman?" he asked Rodrigo.

"Donne-moi une minute, s'il vous plait. C'est ma première fois ici." (Please give me a minute. It's my first time here.) He replied back.

"Pas de problème, monsieur. Finalement, quelqu'un qu'est un petit plus cultivé" (Not a problem, sir. Finally, someone that is a bit more cultured) He replied back, as we went off with Helga's order.

"Uh, ok?" he said as he looked at Helga. "Do you know him?"

"Oui. We have un civilisé understanding." she said while smiling.

"I take it you have been here before?" he asked.

"Sure have, more than once." she replied back.

It didn't take long for Rodrigo to find out what he wanted to order. It also didn't take their waiter long for him to return with Helga's water.

"Serveur, je suis prêt. Puis-je avoir le bœuf bourguignon?"

"Bravo, monsieur. Un excellent choix." he said with a smile, then left the two teens alone.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Helga. It's a beautiful place." Rodrigo started to say.

Helga simply smiled and said nothing.

As Rodrigo looked on, he quickly scanned Helga's mannerism and concluded that despite appearing to be calm, she was hiding something.

_Hm, she seems too calm, too relaxed for this not to be bothering her._ He thought.

By now, Rodrigo had gotten to know whether Helga was actually calm and reserved, or if something was aggravating her without her saying a word. It wasn't an easy thing to pick up, as Helga was quite good in often hiding it. But if one paid close enough attention, one could tell the difference. If one saw Helga actually _trying_ to be calm and relaxed, then something was definitely bothering her, but you could only tell if she was quieter than usual, and if you saw her entire body tense up.

Rodrigo's instinct on this was correct. Helga was extremely nervous about the whole dinner event. Had it not been for the cold weather, she would have been perspirating. She initially thought she had it under control, but it was only when she was on her way to the restaurant that her confidence started to waver. Her fear was not being in Rodrigo's presence, as much as triggering another 'heat in the moment' and this was seriously cutting it too close.

Worse still, she was finding that she was enjoying the whole dinner scene with him. It didn't feel particularly romantic, but it was nice to be dressed up, dine together and just be alone with each other.

"Oh and thanks for emphasizing which restaurant to go to. I almost went to the wrong one when I got here. It's easy to confuse the two." he said.

"Well good thing you didn't go to the wrong restaurant. I wouldn't have wanted you think I was standing you up." she said.

"I wouldn't have thought that. I know you are not the type of person to do something like that, unless there is a seriously good reason. And besides, if I was over there, I'm sure you would gone there and dragged me out of there." he said with a smile.

"You would have to have dragged yourself out there. I'm somewhat banned from ever going in there." she said sheepishly.

"Why, what did you do? You called the health department on them?" he said jokingly with a smile.

When Helga did not return the smile and said nothing while looking away, Rodrigo then realized that this was no longer a joke.

"Really? You got them in trouble?" he asked.

"Ya, I did, but it wasn't something that they did." she said, hesitating on whether to tell him the whole story. She wasn't sure how he would feel about it.

When Rodrigo said nothing and merely stared at her, she relented.

"Ok. Back in the fourth grade, I won tickets for four people, myself included, to dine in this restaurant for free. At that time, Arnold was eyeing someone, saying how 'sophisticated' she was and all that. Wanting to convince him that I could also be sophisticated, I arranged with Phoebe to invite Gerald and Arnold to dine with us."

Although Rodrigo did not show it, he was mentally smiling at how Helga was attempting to win over Arnold. It was very adorable if not romantic of her trying. He could instantly picture all four of them, as kids, dressed up, with Helga trying to be sophisticated around Arnold.

_That's soo cute of her...and so sweet_. He thought.

"My error was that I accidently reserved at the wrong restaurant; the Chez Pierre." she continued. "I did not know of this until the bill came. Panicking, I took Phoebe to the washroom and hatched a plan to get out of this. To buy more time, I ordered more food to our table until I was able to think of something. In the end, having no other options, I called Nadine to bring in some of her bugs and to release them onto the restaurant floor in order to get them into trouble. It worked and my table, along with everyone else, left the restaurant in disgust and refused to pay. We were scott-free, but Arnold and Phoebe were not happy with what I did to the restaurant, just to get out of not paying the bill. They insisted on going back and telling them what happened. In the end, out of guilt and also of wanting to impress Arnold, I decided to go back and tell them the whole truth. As payment, all four of us had to clean all of the dinner plates and utensils for the night, for free. Despite what I did, Arnold was still impressed with me eventually coming clean, and we even played around a bit with the water, just spraying at each other, but it came at a price. When we were done, the store manager asked us whose idea was it and when I stepped forward, the store manager informed me that due to my age, he will not be filing charges against me, but he made it clear that I will no longer be allowed to dine at his restaurant. He took a picture of me to make sure all staff members knew that I was not allowed on the premise. If I was ever caught trying to get in, he would call the police immediately."

Rodrigo's mental smile completely disappeared after she told him this story.

_Whoa, she's a real piece of work._ He thought with some bitterness. _The nerve of what she did, all just to get out of paying the bill?!_

Rodrigo had to really mentally fight hard to try and not judge her, let alone to not lost any respect for her. He had to convince himself that she did ultimately come clean with what she did and she did pay a price, but for him, that was not enough. If he had to be honest with himself, had he been the restaurant manager, he would have called the police and filed charges against her without hesitation. As far as he was concerned, NO ONE was above the law, not even family. He had to really struggle with his conscious, but he managed to succeed, just barely.

When Rodrigo said nothing for a while, Helga, getting suspicious that he was judging her, and hoping this would not ruin their night, said to him,

"It's not really my proudest moment, Ok? And if you must know Latino boy, getting my picture taken so that other random people would surveillance me, like a criminal, was pretty humiliating."

Rodrigo knew he had to say something reassuring, but he really did not know what to say to her. He found the whole thing very troubling. Heck, he still had trouble coming to terms how Arnold managed to forgive her after all the crap she did to him. But he didn't want to ruin this night. He knew Helga would never forgive him for it.

"Sorry, Helga I wasn't judging you. There's nothing to judge. You eventually came clean and you paid the price for it." He lied. "I'm just surprised that after all of that, Arnold was still impressed with you. But I don't blame him. It does take guts for someone to go back and confess to something that they did. And in some way, you should be proud of that." This last part he was not lying to her.

Thankfully, Helga believed him and calmed down a bit.

Just then, the waiter came with their dinner. Helga had ordered the _confit de canard_ meal.

"Bon appetite." The waiter said to them before he left them again to enjoy their meal.

"I take it then since you are banned from that restaurant, you came with Arnold to this one?" he inquired.

"Yup. This is where we were supposed to have dined anyways." she replied back.

"What did Arnold say about that episode after you guys got together?" he asked.

"He thought it was cute how I was trying to impress him, much to my embarrassment. Arnold said the same thing to me what you said; that it takes guts to go back and not just admit your mistake, but to admit your attempt in trying to cover it up." she replied.

"I happen to agree with him. I'm actually kind of envious of him." he said.

Helga was taken a bit back by that remark and started getting a bit suspicious.

_What does he mean by being envious of him? What is he trying to say?_ She thought.

"Why are you envious of him?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"I think it's nice that Arnold had someone who liked him and was trying to get his attention. I had it in reverse. Back in LA, I was the one who was chasing someone I liked." he said.

Helga couldn't help but be a bit disappointed by his answer. But she nevertheless put that aside.

"Did you managed to get her?" she asked.

"Nope. I one day confessed to her about how I felt about her, but she didn't return my feelings. Unrequited love, really." he said.

Helga knew all too well what that feels like. Despite being glad that this girl rejected him, she also felt strong sympathy for him. It was never a nice position to be in.

"I'm sorry to hear that." she said. "Have you ever been with anyone?"

"No, not really. I mean I flirted a few times with some girls, but it never went any further than that. That or I knew some girls liked me, but I never liked them and I wasn't willing to date anyone whom I didn't like and vise versa. I have known people who have done that and it created a lot of drama, not to mention their hearts being broken. Unlike you, Arnold, Gerald and Phoebe, I haven't yet met anyone." he said.

Helga was a bit surprised by this.

"Please tell me you at least went to dinner with someone." She said.

"On a date? No. Just to hang out? Yes, plenty of times. Just because I've never dated anyone doesn't mean I'm completely ignorant on how dates work and stuff. I may lack experience, but I'm pretty knowledgeable about it, courtesy of my friends having to come to me to solve their 'dating' problems." he said with a smile.

Helga couldn't help but smile at Rodrigo's innocence.

"That's cute." She said.

"Thanks. I do look rather cute." he said back with a cocky smile.

Helga merely rolled her eyes at his cockiness.

The two teens then proceeded to continue eating their dinner, while chit chatting. All in all, they were both enjoying their evening together and they both started to relax a bit, not thinking whether or not this was a date. It didn't matter at this point. All they knew was that they were enjoying each other's company and they both decided to just concentrate on that.

After finishing their meals, Helga paid the bill, despite Rodrigo's insistence on at least paying some of it, but she refused. Once all that was settled, they got up and proceeded to get to school for the dance. As they were walking towards the exit, they were busy talking while walking that neither of them saw another person from outside rapidly walking to get inside. The person also was busy looking at his phone and did not see the two teens approaching the door. All three people approached the door simultaneously, but the person was the first to grab the door, swung it hard towards Helga, hitting her right in the nose, which created a loud bang.

"OW! Damn it!" she screamed in pain.

Although the door didn't knock her off of her feet, her nose started bleeding. She groaned and tried to deal with the pain. Rodrigo and the guy were completely stunned at what just happened and for two seconds, said nothing other than looking at a injured Helga in horror.

"Dude, watch where you are going?!" Rodrigo finally exclaimed to the guy.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Miss, are you alright? It was an accident..." the guy attempted to apologize, but Helga cut him off.

"Does it look like I am alright, you idiot?! You busted by nose!" she yelled at him as she gave him a deadly glare, then grabbed his shirt and was about to pummel him.

"Let's see how your date will like it when she sees your face after I'm done with you!" she yelled at the guy.

Rodrigo immediately grabbed her arm, trying to prevent her from hitting the guy and then went between him and her.

"Whoa, whoa Helga, stop! It's not worth it! It was an accident" but she refused to listen and still attempted to get to the guy, but Rodrigo didn't allow her and quickly gestured at the guy to leave before she got to him.

The guy, other than still apologizing, said nothing and quickly made his way towards his table.

Rodrigo had to almost drag Helga out of the restaurant. Thankfully she was so focused on the guy that she didn't attempt to hit him. He pulled her towards a bench, put her and his coat on her to prevent her from freezing, had her sit down, grabbed some tissue from his pocket and gave it to her to plug her nostrils. He then grabbed some snow from the ground and gently put it on her nose to get it to stop bleeding. After a few minutes, her nose finally stopped bleeding, but she was still in pain. Rodrigo asked if he can touch it to see if it as broken, which she gave her permission. Luckily, apart from it being bruised and bleeding, it was not broken.

"Helga, I think we should call it a night. You are hurt. If you want, we can just chill in my room and talk and I can make sure your nose is ok. We don't have to go to the dance..." he said but Helga cut him off.

"Oh no you don't, bucko! I'm not going to let that blind idiot ruin my date tonight! I said I was taking you to the dance and that's where we are going!" she yelled.

Helga then got up, grabbed Rodrigo by this shirt and started dragging him to the bus stop in order to get to the school.

_Date? Did she say this was a date?! I thought we were just hanging out?_ He thought as he was dragged along.

Rodrigo was never fond of people grabbing him by his shirt. He usually deemed that form of aggression as a threat, which he would normally chastise them for. However in this case, he couldn't help be feel that he kind of liked it when she was like this; it demonstrated her resolve, not to mention her confidence; two traits that he always liked in a woman.

_Wow, what a woman!_ He thought excitedly.

Once on the bus, Rodrigo continued to nurse Helga's nose, giving her new tissue to and constantly reminding her to lift her head up. Helga attempted to give his coat back but he refused, stating that she needed it, given her dress.

"Aren't you freezing?" she asked him.

"A bit, but I'll live." he responded back.

"How did you even manage to get to the restaurant like this? It's freezing!" he exclaimed.

"The price of beauty" she replied back.

"Helga, are you sure you still want to go to the dance?" he asked her.

Helga only gave him a scowling face, indicating her stubborn resolve to take him.

"Alright, alright, I was only asking." he said.

Eventually, they made it to the school. Rodrigo grabbed her hand and help her get off her sit, then helped her go down the bus stairs. They made it just in time, as the school dance had just started. They quickly made their way inside the school to get away from the cold weather. Once inside, they made their way to the lunchroom, where the dance was being held.

Along the way, they saw their friends, waiting for them to arrive. Phoebe and Rodrigo had already spoken to them that Helga was coming to the dance, but they had all assumed that she was coming alone. When Phoebe saw them coming together, she was not surprised. But she became concerned when she saw the tissue up her nostrils and her bruised nose, as were all their friends.

"Whoa, Rodrigo what did you do to her? Did you finally snap?" Sid jokingly asked him when he saw her.

"Can it Sid." Helga snapped at Sid, while giving him a frowning face.

Rodrigo was about to explain to everyone what happened, when Helga quickly intervened.

"Well, if you people must know, I was walking towards the bus stop when I slipped and fell and I hit my nose on the bus stop post. By sheer coincidence, Rodrigo was also making his way towards the bus stop where I fell and he helped stop my nosebleed. What a wonderful night to start my evening!" she said sarcastically.

Rodrigo looked at her with a perplexed and surprised look on his face.

_Did she not tell anyone about taking me to dinner? If this wasn't a date, why bother hiding it?_ He thought.

Despite his surprise, he followed her lead.

"Ya, that's pretty much what happened." he said.

It was a sketchy story, but everyone bought it, except Phoebe and Gerald. Gerald especially was now catching on to them and was starting to get suspicious, but for now didn't say anything.

"Well good to know that Rodrigo was there when he needed to be. So what does everybody say we go inside and dance?" he said.

Everyone agreed and walked into the dancehall.

Despite the incident, both Rodrigo and Helga didn't allow that to tarnish their night and almost immediately started having fun. To Rodrigo, Phoebe and Gerald's surprise, they noticed that Helga was more relaxed and social than at Rhonda's Halloween party. She not only was conversing more with them, but she even seemed to be smiling more. Phoebe decided not to ponder about Helga's sketchy story and just let her have her night.

What's more, Helga was more willing to dance with Rodrigo and even pulled him to the dance floor on a few occasions.

"Hey, I like this song. Come, let's dance to it." she said as she pulled Rodrigo's arms.

"Ok, Hel- whoa!" he exclaimed, as he was almost dragged to the dance floor.

Although Gerald was initially glad that Helga was enjoying herself, he quickly got suspicious again when he saw them both dancing at a slow song. It wasn't that they were dancing to this song that bothered him; it was the way Helga was dancing with Rodrigo. Gerald had noticed that with this song, Helga wrapped her arms around Rodrigo's neck and was very close to him, way too close for comfort. On other occasions, Helga simply had one arm around his waist while Rodrigo held her other hand with his hand up high, while keeping a distance, but no more. He had also noticed that they have been dancing a lot together throughout the night, with Helga rarely leaving his side.

No longer willing to stand this, Gerald decided that after the dance, he needed to have a talk with Rodrigo about this. Normally, he wouldn't care if Helga and Rodrigo were courting each other, but Helga was still with Arnold and since his best friend was not here to defend himself, Gerald felt it was his responsibility to find out what's going between the two teens.

While Gerald was giving them the suspicious look, both Helga and Rodrigo were busy talking to each other while dancing.

"How's your nose?" he asked her closely to her ear.

Being so close to him gave Helga a nervous, but exciting shiver down her spine when he whispered into her ear. She was starting getting nervous around him now, but she couldn't help herself. She wanted to be close to him, but at the same time felt completely uncomfortable with it. Ignoring her conflicting emotions,

"It's better...thanks." she said nervously. "I hope you're enjoying yourself."

"I am, thank you Helga. It has been a very nice evening. I will never forget it." he said while smiling at her.

"Good, see that you don't. I paid a hefty price for tonight." She said with a smirk.

At this point, Rodrigo looked at her and simply smiled at her, but said nothing. Then, Helga gently pushed Rodrigo a little closer to her, and then leaned her head against his, prompting him to get nervous again. He was so close to her that he was able to smell her hair and realized it had a flowerily smell. It was sweet but not too strong of a smell. Being so close to each other prompted both their hearts to beat faster but at the same time felt relaxing and just...nice. Unbeknownst to each other, both teens then had the urge to look up and share a kiss. But none of them dare to move, know full well of its consequences.

Sure enough, the song ended, giving Rodrigo the excuse to pull himself away from her. Rodrigo realized that this was too close for comfort and decided not to get that close again for the rest of the evening. Helga also realized her mistake and kept her distance as well.

**After the school dance...**

Rodrigo and Helga took the bus home. Their friends decided to get something to eat before heading home, but Rodrigo and Helga declined to go with them, making the excuse that they were both tired. While riding the bus home, Rodrigo decided to inquiry on what she meant by 'date'.

"So I thought this wasn't a date?" he suddenly asked her.

"What?"

"Back at the restaurant, after the guy hit you and I suggested calling it a night; you said that you were not going to let him ruin your date. I thought it wasn't a date."

"It wasn't." Helga quickly countered. "I meant it as a friendly dating night, not an actual 'date' date. I misspoke. I was more focusing on the pain then trying to talk to you, if you recall."

Rodrigo however, was not convinced. He could tell with the way Helga was talking to him that she was hiding something.

"Helga, is there something that you want to talk to me about?" he asked him.

"No, I don't. There is nothing to talk about. This wasn't a date." She insisted firmly.

Rodrigo then smiled, leaned against his seat and then said nonchalantly, "Ok, cool." giving the impression that he was happy with her response, but he wasn't. On the contrary, he felt disappointed in hearing her say that, but there was nothing he could do or say. It was true, she had a boyfriend whom she loved and despite his feelings, he was not going to come between them.

Helga also felt a bit said and hurt for saying that to him. Worse, she bought into his facade and thought he was completely ok with it not being a date. Despite her resistance, she had somewhat hoped he would gave her some sort indication that he wanted it to be more than just a hang out. Feeling disappointed, she just slumped into her seat as she waited for the bus to arrive at her stop.

While neither said anything to each other, Rodrigo was in deep thought, thinking about her behaviour towards him tonight and it was confusing him, if not irritating him. He wasn't dense; he knew she was giving him hints and clues that she may have feelings for him. However, what irritated him was why was she doing that when she had a boyfriend?

_Why would she give me hints and clues if she refuses to acknowledge her feelings to me? Does she have feelings for me? Is she playing me? Is she even still with Arnold? What's her angel? Is she confused? I don't think she is the type of person to play people like this, but I cannot allow her to just get close to me or behave like this, only to deny it. That's not right._ _Ugh, I have so many questions, but I cannot simply go to her and ask her. She will just deny it. I hate not knowing._ _Frankly, I don't think she even knows what she wants, which is fine if she needs to figure things out, but she shouldn't be leading me on like this._ He thought.

Helga was also in deep thought, reeling from tonight's events. While she had a good time with Rodrigo, she knew she got in way too deep on the dance floor. Worse, she was now kicking herself for exposing so much to him and to everyone else!

_Crimeny, I can't believe I went that far with him! That was soo stupid of me, especially doing it in front of everyone. I know Phoebe and Gerald must have caught on to what was happening and I know Phoebe will have a few words to say to me this coming weekend. I really have to keep my distance until I figure things out with myself first. The last thing I need is for Rodrigo to think I am some sort of a skank who hits on people while having a boyfriend._ She thought angrily.

Finally, the bus arrived at Helga's stop and both teens got off. Rodrigo was going to walk her home, but Helga stopped him.

"Listen, it's cold tonight, you don't have walk me home. You should go home. I can take it from here." she said.

Rodrigo was about to protest, but seeing as how cold it was; he was relenting to her advice.

"Are you sure? It's not a problem for me." he said.

"It is a problem for me, knowing that you will be freezing by the time you get home. Relax Latino Boy; you already took care of me this evening." She said with a smile.

"Well, it was the least I could do. But ok, I'll go home. Just text me when you get home, ok?" he said.

"Sure, night." She said.

"Night" he said back before turning around and making his way home.

Rodrigo didn't regret not walking her home. By the time he made it to his house, he was freezing. Thankfully, Helga's house was closer so she made it home before he did. She texted him as promised, confirming that she was home safe.

**Saturday morning...**

After finishing her breakfast, Helga went straight back into her room to finish her letter for Arnold.

_I really wish you were here football head. It would have made things so much easier than they are now. I am now at a crossroad and I have no idea where to turn. I would say logic dictates where I should go, but it is not my rationality that is confused. No, it is my heart. It is being torn between two directions and it is brutally painful. Last night I took Rodrigo out to dinner and took him to our school dance. I did it to make up for my past transgressions and to say thank you for being a good friend. Needless to say, I bit off more than I can chew...and I liked it._

_I'm not sure where I should turn. I really could use your wisdom at this time, but we both know why I don't send you any of my letters. It has been a hard road these last few years, and I cannot describe to you just how tired I am of this. I want this to end, Arnold. No, I don't want to end my life, but I do want to end these conflicting emotions. I just want to make a decision and just move on, I really do. But all I have left that I cherish on this pathetic blue planet are my memories of you and our time together. It is completely crushing to me at even the thought of having to let them go. _

_I don't know what I should do and I can't keep leading Rodrigo on like this; it is not fair to him, nor to myself, not even to you. All my mind keeps saying is to 'take baby steps', but that is easier said than done. I still have not made it known to anyone about our relationship status; I just can't tell them. I feel that to do that is to lose all sense of hope, all hope of you one day coming back to us, coming back to me. And I will not lose hope! It's all I have left!_

_Sorry to taking this all on you football head, but I just needed to write this down and get it out of my system. I hope all is well on your end._

_Yours truly,_

_Helga G. Pataki_

Once she was finished, Helga then sadly put the letter inside her binder. She then picked it up and put in her closet. After taking a deep sigh, she then went to her bed to lie down.

_What to do, what to do, what to do..._She thought to herself, as she began to listen to some music.

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**Just a few responses to some reviews:**

**Call Me Nettie: After empressakura655 introduced me to the concept, everything made much more sense to me, especially how Helga behaved towards Arnold as a tsundere and why Arnold kept coming back to help her. It wasn't just because he felt bad and wanted to help; he was also doing it because he got some sort of enjoyment out of it.**

**UloveMe143: Hahaha, yup! I feel the same way about Helga needing to move away from Arnold. And yes, psychology is never a sure thing. That's why scientists either typically look down at psychology, especially psychoanalysis, or become heavily involved in it, as such as in neuroscience. **

**I also want to provide people with information that there are different types of loves. There are those that are deeply passionate and intense and those that are romantic, while others are just compassionate about each other. It also depends on people's personalities. We will have to wait and see how things go between Rodrigo and Helga, but clearly something is going on between those two lol.**


	23. Chapter 23 - A Sporting Debate

**In this chapter, Helga is feeling a bit down, so Rodrigo entices her to renew her interest in playing sports again, while also probing on her intellectual capacity...**

* * *

**During Lunchtime...**

Rodrigo walked in and found Helga sitting at their usual table, reading something. As he approached the table, he noticed that she just finished eating an apple and was about to eat some baby carrots. She was sitting alone; everyone else was at the gym playing sports, so Helga and Rodrigo were on their own.

"Hey." he said to her with a smile.

"Hey" she replied back, although she made no attempt to smile. Quite the contrary, she was frowning, which Rodrigo noticed.

_Uh oh, what now?_ He thought.

He sat down beside her and then took out his lunch.

"You must have been starving. You already ate your lunch and your just eating the leftovers." he commented.

At any other time, Helga would have appreciated the irony of his comment. But alas, she was in no mood to hear any ironic twist to her usual, but sad life.

"I didn't bring my lunch today." she said sadly.

"Why? Did you forget it?" he asked her.

"No. Miriam didn't cook last night and forgot to pack any food as a substitute; not even a peanut butter sandwich, despite promising that she would. She has been really occupied in making an impression at her new full-time job at the local TV station and with her AA meetings, it hasn't been easy for her to remember things." she explained. "Although, I shouldn't be surprised by this. Years back, when I was around eleven to twelve years old, this same scenario happened."

"How so?" Rodrigo asked her.

"Big Bob got injured, so he was unable to work." she began to explain with a sad tone. "To help out, Miriam took on the role as the head of the business, calling herself the 'Beeper Queen' and she got pretty good at it. New investors came in and the business flourished. But during that time, she essentially ignored me, more so than before. She would come late, go straight to bed, then get up in the morning to go back to work, while never even acknowledged that I was even in the house. No lunches were made, so I had to scavenge for food at my own home. It got up to a point where I had to speak to her and told her that I missed her and I wanted her to come home. Thankfully, she realized what she was doing and came back to being a stay-at-home mom, while Big Bob went back to work, although she reverted back to drinking again, so that really didn't make much of a difference."

Helga then just became sadder as she remembered these memories.

"Today, I only realized at the last minute that Miriam didn't make me any lunch, so I had no time to make any for myself. What's more, Olga has been busy with interviews and with her night shift, part-time job, so she hasn't been able to help out in the kitchen."

"Is that all you got from your house, then? Just the apple and baby carrots?" he asked her.

"Nope, not even that. Phoebe gave them to me when she realized that I had no lunch." she explained as she continued to frown.

Rodrigo just continued look at her as he became consumed by guilt. While Helga was practically starving, he had a full bowl of food that his own mom made for him; steak, with beans and rice, plus some salad in another container. Feeling completely sympathetic, Rodrigo instantly got up and went to the school kitchen. After a few minutes, he came back with a plastic plate. He then dumped half of his food on it and gave it to Helga.

"Here." he said.

Helga simply frowned ever more at the kind gesture. She despised having people feel sorry for her. That was the main reason why she reframed from telling people about her home life; she didn't want their pity. As much she wanted to refuse Rodrigo's offer, she couldn't. Because she woke up late today, she didn't eat any breakfast, so she had been essentially starving throughout the day and this was probably the only time she will eat a good meal, so she accepted it, albeit reluctantly.

"Thanks Latino boy." she said nonchalantly.

As Helga ate away, Rodrigo took a peek at the book that she was reading; _The Metamorphosis _by Franz Kafka.

_Hm, interesting._ he thought.

Rodrigo had noticed that ever since she finally joined the school's poetry club, she had been devouring every literature, novel or poetry book she could get her hands on. Almost every day, he would see Helga wondering the hallways with a book or two on her arms. And whenever they took the bus, she would be reading something, and they weren't for class. Rodrigo had attempted to discuss with her what she was reading, but either there was no time, or Helga was too busy reading, or, as was often the case, she didn't seem willing to discuss what she was reading. It was as if she was hiding something, something about herself.

Rodrigo became determined to debate with her on the book that she was currently reading and see just how much smart she really was. He knew from personal experience that you do not devour books and not learn anything from them, unless you were an idiot and Helga was definitely not that. He reasoned that she is more intelligent then she lets on; the fact that she learned Spanish within a short amount of time was enough proof, but he wanted to push the curtains and see more.

During the next few days, Rodrigo noticed that Helga had been acting moody lately. When he asked her about it, she refused to answer him, which didn't surprise him. He assumed that it must be her mom's continued negligence and she must be feeling more ignored now than ever.

This proved to the case when Rodrigo often saw Helga eating only a snack, a fast-made sandwich, or sometimes none at all during those few days. Clearly her mom kept on 'forgetting' on packing her any decent food, or at least giving her money!

Even their dancing lessons were no longer a source to alleviate her mood and stress. Helga performed her moves, but with little enthusiasm. One day, Rodrigo tried to entice her to participate more by getting her to dance faster and performing more robust moves, but that only succeeded in irritating her.

"Rodrigo, stop dancing so fast. You are not line with the beat!" she snapped at him.

"Sorry Helga. Just wanted to have a little fun." he said.

"You can have fun by dancing properly." she replied back with a frown.

Rodrigo knew that he wasn't out of line with the beat, but not wanting to upset her further, he slowed down.

As Rodrigo walked into his house after their dancing lessons, he started getting worried. He knew that if Helga didn't let out what was bothering her, she would eventually explode.

_Oh man, I have to do something, but what?_ He thought.

**the next day during lunch...**

Rodrigo and the gang had finished playing soccer inside one of the big gyms.

Because the weather was still very cold and just downright depressing, the school allowed its gyms to be used by the students for any sport or games that they wanted to play. Due to the limited space, some sports, such as baseball and football, was forbidden. However, soccer was allowed.

Due to having played the sport practically his whole life, Rodrigo soon proved to be an extremely valuable player to have on your team. While the gang had rarely played the sport, Rodrigo's initiation into the group practically popularized it and they quickly took the sport as one of their own.

On this day, Rodrigo's team had just won, right in the nick of time as the bell was about to bring. The gang went inside their respective gender change rooms. Once inside, Rodrigo wanted to inquire about something.

"Hey guys, how come Helga doesn't play with us?"

"Beats us, Rodrigo." Gerald responded as he was changing his shirt. "We've invited her repeatedly in the past but she refused to play with us."

"Was she always like this?" Rodrigo asked him.

"No. This happened when Arnold left." He responded back. "She did come a few times to play with us, but we had to literally beg her or get Phoebe to convince her to come and play with us. Not surprisingly, that got tiresome so we left her alone. But we told her that if ever wanted to come play with us again, she is always welcome."

"How was she when you guys were kids?" Rodrigo asked.

"Oh man, she was one the most aggressive and talented players we had. " Gerald said, smiling while remembering the moments. "That's one of the reasons why we sometimes begged her to come play on our team; she so good that we knew that if she came, we would win."

"You should have seen her during that time, Rodrigo. She sometimes scared the opposing players just by looking at them, demoralizing them from winning." Sid interjected.

"Yeah, but she sometimes scared us. She would often say mean things or threaten us if we didn't do what she told us to do. She can be a tough player with her own team, sheesh!" exclaimed Harold.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Oh ya, she can be pretty brutal with you if you don't shape up." Gerald commented. "But that was sometimes good motivation for us. Arnold would also encourage us, but sometimes his words were too shy from getting us to where we needed to be. That's when Helga would step in and give us this 'inspirational' speech to shape up and get a move on it. She wanted to win and she was not going to tolerate anyone from holding her and the team back."

Rodrigo smiled at how positive, at least to some extent, his friends were talking about Helga when she played.

_Finally, some positive feedback._ He thought.

"So, you guys wouldn't mind if I convince her to play with us again tomorrow?" he asked.

"No, not really. But good luck convincing her." said Gerald while snickering.

*rrriinnnngggg*

"Uh oh, we'd better get a move on it or else we'll be late, fellars." said Stinky.

The gang quickly got dressed, grabbed their bags and made their way to their next class.

**The same day after school...**

When school ended, Helga took an early bus home whilst deep in thought. Her mom's negligence was still bothering her; she had forgotten to make her lunch again. This time Helga was prepared and ended up making her own lunch, so at least she didn't starve today. Yet, it hurt knowing that even her own mom didn't make her a priority.

_Crimeny, would it kill her to at least let me know that she wasn't going to make any food?!_ She thought bitterly.

To make matters worse, her methods to alleviate stress and her anger were not working. She had attempted to write some poetry during her spare time, but that made little difference in alleviating the anger that she was feeling about her mom. Her dancing lessons with Rodrigo have also not been helping.

Frustrated, she then came up with another possible solution. However, she hesitated if she was going to go through with it. It had been years since she last participated, with only rare exceptions. She knew that she would not be in the best shape, so she would have a difficult time in performing well. But with no other option, she felt it was necessary for her to at least try. Besides, there was another reason why she wanted to do it; she missed it. She missed the thrill of it, the excitement of winning and the confidence that came with it. Every time she won, she felt she was on top of the world. Heck, she even missed bossing her friends around.

Helga smiled at that last thought.

By the time bus the approached her stop and Helga got off, she made her decision; she was going to play sports again.

**The next day at lunchtime...**

Rodrigo entered the gym and prepared to get ready for the game. He was a bit late, so he wasn't surprised when he saw that everyone else was already there: Gerald, Stinky, Sid, Harold, Rhonda, Nadine, Sheena, Lila and even Phoebe were also ready to play. As Rodrigo got closer, he noticed that to his surprise, Helga was also there, ready to play.

"Helga? What are doing here?" he asked her.

"What does it look like, Latino boy?" she retorted back. "I'm here to play. Got a problem with that?"

"No, just surprised that you came." He replied back.

"Ya man, we were all surprised when Helga came here asking to play with us." said Gerald. "I don't know what you said to her to convince her to come out, but much respect to you."

"Convince?" she interjected with a confused look on her face. "Rodrigo didn't convince me to come here. I came here on my own."

"Really?" Gerald asked with his own confused look. "You never spoke to her?"

Rodrigo simply shook his head.

"No, I never got the chance to talk to her about it. She left school early yesterday and today, I didn't see her at our lunch table. I'd figured she wanted to be alone today. That's why I came a bit late." He explained.

"And why were you going to convince me to play?" she asked him while having her arms crossed.

_I'm not sure why she is asking me this. She knows why._ He thought to himself.

"Well, you haven't been yourself lately so I thought if you played with us, it would help you. Playing sports helps with stress and in letting things go." he explained. "Besides," he continued with an almost evil smirk. "I have been told you that you used to be one of the best players back in your day and I wanted to see just how good you really are."

Helga merely look at him and said nothing back. She then went back to look at Gerald.

"So, who is on whose team?" she asked him.

"Well, it'll be Rodrigo, Lila, Sheena, Eugene, Nadine, you versus myself, Sid, Stinky, Phoebe, Rhonda, Harold."

"No!" she exclaimed.

"What?"

"Put me on the opposite team. I want to face against Latino boy here." She said as she pointed at Rodrigo.

"Oh come on, Helga!" Gerald protested. "The teams were made since yesterday."

"Give the girl what she wants, Gerald." Rodrigo interjected. "She doesn't bite...much." he said with a smirk on his face. He was also intrigued in facing against Helga.

Helga didn't bother to even look at him and just continued to stared at Gerald with a serious look on her face.

*sigh* "Fine." he relented. "You're on my team, Helga. Sid, you're on Rodrigo's team."

Both Lila and Nadine sighed in relief, knowing they wouldn't have to endure any of Helga's famous 'motivational speeches'.

The team then got their positions. Eugene then put the ball in the middle.

Gerald was in the forward player in the middle. Facing him was Sid. Both Rodrigo and Helga were also forward but on Rodrigo's right side, facing each other. Stinky was also forward, while Harold was midfielder. Rhonda and Phoebe were defence. Eugene was midfielder, while Nadine and Lila were defence. Seconds before Eugene blew the whistle, as Rodrigo was looking at Helga, she then gave him her own evil grin, indicating to him what she was going to give him his money's worth.

_Finally, a worthy opponent._ he thought to himself amusingly.

Eugene got to his position and then blew the whistle and the game started.

During the first twenty minutes, Helga did not play well. Apart from rarely having played soccer in the past, which she struggled to find her game, she was also not in tip-top shape. She found it hard to contain the ball long enough to pass it to Gerald or anyone else on her team. Rodrigo or someone else were easily able to get the ball away from her. Thankfully, they haven't yet been able make a goal.

However, from the beginning Helga expected this. What's more, she was planning on using it to her advantage; to make it look like she was her team's weak link and draw the ball to her.

Falling into her trap, Rodrigo realized this, and when Nadine passed him the ball, he started running and was able to get around Helga without much trouble, scoring his team's first goal.

"Oh man." Groaned Gerald as he put his hand on his face.

"Relax, tall-hair boy." Helga said to him confidently. "We still have time."

As they continued to play, Helga began to pick up the pace and slowly found her game, but still reframed from giving it her all. She was waiting for the right moment.

After a few more minutes, Rhonda got the ball, then passed it on to Stinky, who attempted to run with it, but was blocked by Sid. He then passed the ball to Gerald, who intentionally skipped it and allowed it to go to Helga. She got it and ran towards the opposite team's net but had to slow down due to Lila blocking her away.

Suddenly, Rodrigo came out of nowhere and took the ball from behind Helga and ran against the other team's net, startling Helga who almost fell. He then passed the ball to Nadine, who passed it to Sid, who then passed it back to Rodrigo again and scored again, 2-0.

Getting frustrated, Helga thought that now was the time to give it all she got. Rhonda again got the ball and then passed it on to Gerald, who tried to run but was blocked. Helga was in the open and waved at him to pass it to her, but for a second, he hesitated, knowing that Helga was not playing well. He looked at Stinky and saw that he was also blocked. With no other options, he reluctantly passed the ball to Helga.

Once she got it, she continued her usual pace, waiting for Rodrigo to come to her. As soon as he was within reach, Helga suddenly led out a serious sprint that came out of nowhere, passing him instantly and then quickly passing Lila, kicking it and scoring 2-1.

This came as a surprise to both Gerald and Rodrigo, whom they just started at her, completely dumbfounded at how quickly she ran. But Helga quickly got tall-hair boy out of his trance.

"Don't just stand there, Gerald. Move it!" she yelled at him.

"Oh right." he said and started running to get the ball away from Nadine.

As the game continued, Helga started getting tired but she continued to play fiercely. She was not holding anything back now. Rodrigo, realizing this, was no longer going be easy on her and started to aggressively take the ball away from her.

After another few minutes, Helga saw Rodrigo with the ball, running towards her net. She instantly started sprinting to get to him, but made a semi circle from behind him, hoping to get into his blind spot and take the ball without him noticing, just like he did to her. Unfortunately, he already saw her approaching him and just when Helga was within reach, he kicked the ball to Nadine who tried to score.

Helga was running so fast that she had to quickly redirect herself to avoid running into Rodrigo, but he was also running, even after he kicked it, right into her direction. In an instant, about a second after Rodrigo kicked the ball, and with no way to stop, Helga collided with him hard, prompting both teens to fall down to the floor.

Rodrigo fell on his back, but luckily did not hit his head, while Helga fell right on top of him. Whilst still reeling from the collision, both teens then inadvertently looked at each other and for the second time, had their eyes locked onto each other while breathing heavily for air. Then, just as in the first time, all sense of time and space instantly disappeared again, as they completely ignored their surroundings and became mesmerized with each other. The game, their friends, the gym, all disappeared. It was just them...alone. Helga looked in Rodrigo's dark brown eyes and felt a sense of mysterious but calmness and certitude in him. Rodrigo for his part looked deep into Helga's blue eyes and felt her emotional and physical strength and endurance. For six seconds, both teens remained motionless on the floor and quiet, just staring at each other.

Then they both began to have this strong urge to feel each other's cheeks and perhaps get...closer. With each passing second the urge became stronger. Both teens attempted to fought it off, but to no avail. Then, their heads started getting a bit closer to each other...and closer...and closer, until...

"Um, are you guys alright?" Sid asked them with a confused look. Indeed, the game stopped when both teens collided with each other and remained on the floor for a while. Their friends looked at them confusingly as to why they hadn't yet gotten up.

That prompted both teens to finally get out of their trance. While trying not to panic, Helga instantly got up, followed by Rodrigo.

"Ya, ya I'm fine. I just needed to catch some air because Latino boy here ran into me." she replied back confidently, while frowning at him.

"Me?! You need glasses because you're the one that was running towards me and collided with me." Rodrigo snapped back at her.

"Then you should have moved away if you saw me running towards you, Rodrigo!" she barked back at him.

"How was I supposed to know that you were going to ran into me? Be careful next time." He retorted back at her.

Helga, irritated that Rodrigo was still arguing with her and the fact that they had that 'moment' again, instantly grabbed him by his shirt and snarled at him.

"Listen you, you're the one that ran into me so YOU be careful next time, got it?!"

Rodrigo however, said nothing back to her and just continued to stare at her. He seemed to have fallen into a type of love trance because he started smiling at her.

"Hello?! Earth to Rodrigo! Anyone home?!" she exclaimed at him annoyingly as she waved her hand in front of his face.

"Sorry Helga but I started looking into your beautiful, ocean like eyes and I got lost in them. They are radiant jewels that must have come only from the heavens." he said flirtatiously.

That shocked everyone, including Helga, who was dumbfoundedly looking at him with wide eyes and her mouth hanging open.

"Well, I...uh..ummm...What?" she attempted to say something, but found herself mumbling her words. She also tried really hard not to blush, which she failed and her cheeks became red.

Seeing as how he successfully got her off balance, he then added with a more serious tone, "Now you either kiss me or let me go, cara linda." (Beautiful face) this time he gave her a smirk.

After some further hesitation, Helga finally let Rodrigo go and then said, "Whatever, let's just get back into the game so I can win this." as she started walking away from him with a frown, all awhile still blushing.

As she walked away, everyone continued to stare at Rodrigo, who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"You heard her. Let's get back into the game." he said to them and then started walking back to his side of the field.

Not amused that Rodrigo had just flirted with her in front of everyone and caused her to blush, as soon as the game started, Helga unleashed her fury onto the game. The game continued with Phoebe having the ball, who passed it on to Gerald, who quickly passed it on Helga. Then, like a lightning strike, she quickly bypassed Rodrigo, almost knocking him off his feet again, and then Lila easily and scored again, 2-2, all within a span of less than a minute.

_Sheesh, that was fast!_ Rodrigo thought.

As Helga walked back to her position, she gave Rodrigo a serious scowling face. Rodrigo remained unfazed and just looked at her while she passed him.

_Oh ya, she definitely wants to win this._ He thought.

During the next several minutes there was no decisive moment. The only change was Helga, who quickly regained her old bossy, confidence back and started yelling orders at her team.

"Pheebs, Princess, unless there is something romantically going on between you two, give yourself some space and don't get to close to each other in order to cover more ground for defense!"

Even her best friend wasn't exempt from her aggressive leadership style.

**Five minutes later...**

Rodrigo's team tried several times to score, but having to pass Harold and then Phoebe and Rhonda was too much for them. Phoebe and Rhonda repeatedly stole the ball from them as soon as Rodrigo's team passed Harold. Helga's instruction to be more separate from each other was proving its worth.

"Pink boy, I swear by all the Norse Gods that don't exist that if you let them pass you again, I will make mince meat out of you!" she yelled at him.

Harold said nothing and merely gulped in fear as he gave her a salute.

**Three minutes later...**

A time-out was called as both teams coordinated a strategy in order to break the deadlock.

"Stinky, you need to be more aggressive, so unless you want to meet old Betsy here, get a move on it!" Helga yelled. "Gerald you're a guy, why are you so scared of Nadine?!"

"Hey, I resent that Helga!" Nadine called out to her from afar, feeling offended.

However, both Gerald and Helga ignored her.

"I-I'm not!" Gerald replied back.

"Then you need to run faster so I can pass you the ball!" she continued to 'coach' her team.

Helga had an ample reason to be bossy. They were still tied and she was by now exhausted and since her team was more physically fit than her, she had to rely on them in order make that one last push in order to win.

As Helga 'coordinated' with her team, Rodrigo looked on with amusement and admiration.

"Boy howdy, I sure am glad I'm not on her team." Sid commented.

"Was she always like this?" Rodrigo asked him.

"Oh ya." He replied back.

"She's got that spice, for real." said Rodrigo with a smile on his face. "I like her..."

"What?" Sid asked him.

"Um...I mean I like her style of leadership." Rodrigo attempted to correct himself nervously. He realized that instead of thinking it, he ended up saying it out loud.

Realizing that there was only a minute left before the bell rang, Rodrigo quickly made a plan with his team. He gathered his team in a huddle.

"Alright, Helga is exhausted but they are going to try for one last push. It's our ball now so Sid, pass it to me and I will try and score." He said.

"But Helga and Gerald will no doubt try and get it away from you." Nadine interjected.

"Exactly!" Rodrigo said to her. "That is exactly what I want them to do. If I can draw Helga and Gerald, that will create a gap in their line, so you Nadine, Sid and Eugene can go through it and try to score."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Once completed, they got into positions and readied themselves.

As soon as the game started, Sid, with the ball, started running with it. He then passed the ball to Rodrigo, which as predicted, drew Helga and Gerald to go after him. When the timing was right, Nadine ran straight into that gap and when the opposing team to close to Rodrigo, he then kicked the ball straight at Nadine. She ran with it along with Sid by her side with Eugene right behind them.

Helga and Gerald quickly turned around and started running at after them.

Harold was ready for them, but having to deal with three people, he was easily overwhelmed as Nadine passed the ball to Sid, who then passed it to Eugene, who then passed it back to Nadine, just as she passed Harold. Nadine than passed Rhonda and then kicked it to Sid who had to jump to get it with his head. He then kicked the ball back to Nadine, who then kicked it right into the net, scoring 3-2. Just then, the bell rang.

"Ugh, damn it!" growled Helga.

Rodrigo's team celebrated their win and high-fived each other.

"Gerald, nice game man." Rodrigo said to him as he shook this hand.

"Well played, Rodrigo." he said.

As Rodrigo congratulated the opposing team, he approached Helga, how was pouting over her loss.

"Hey Helga, nice game." he said as he extended his hand and waited for her to shake it.

Helga continued to frown at him, but then let it go and replaced it with a smile.

"Same to you Latino boy." As she shook his hand.

"So can I count on you showing up for the next game?" he asked her.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." She replied back.

Gerald then approached Helga.

"Hey Pataki, good to have you back. We missed your 'motivational speeches'" he said.

Helga simply smiled at him.

**While on the bus...**

As the gang was riding home after school, both Rodrigo and Helga were sitting behind the rest of their friends, next to each other, but remained quiet.

Despite ending their game on good terms, Helga was still upset with Rodrigo for having flirted with her in front of everyone like that. She didn't speak to him throughout the rest of the day after their game, not even during their history school. Rodrigo didn't mind the silence.

"You have some nerve to have flirted with me like that in front of everyone." She suddenly said to him with a serious tone.

_Oh ya, you bet I do._ He thought to himself amusingly.

"And you have some nerve to grab me by my shirt again after I told you that I do not like being handled like that." He replied back calmly.

Rodrigo knew she was upset with him over this but was unfazed. After their fight last year, he had made it clear to her to never grab him like that again and was surprised that she did it again in front of their friends.

"It's not the same Rodrigo!" she exclaimed. "Don't flirt with me like that again." She warned him.

"It is the same Helga. Just as how you asked me to respect the boundary of your relationship between you and Arnold, you have to respect mine. Violate mine and I'll violate yours; an eye for an eye. I believe that was one of your favorite sayings when you were a kid." he countered back.

"Every time you grab me like that, I'm going to just flirt with you. It is either that, or we will end up fighting, and I'm sure you don't want the latter." He continued.

Helga just sighed in frustration. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right.

"Whatever Latino boy." she said while frowning. She was in no mood to argue with him.

As they continued riding the bus quietly, Helga thought about Rodrigo's last comment and couldn't help but feel...disappointed, if not sad. She thought he had actually meant what he said about her eyes. Now she sadly realized that he only said that just to get her off his back.

"But I meant what I said, about your eyes. They are beautiful and jewels that must have only come from above." He suddenly said to her while relaxing in his seat.

Helga looked back at him with wide open eyes, surprised that he had actually meant it.

"Um...thanks." she said bashfully. She then turned her head towards the buns window, smiled a bit and let out a quiet romantic sighed.

Remembering about her book, Rodrigo then started inquiring on it.

"So, that book that you are reading, how do you like it?" he asked her.

Helga looked at him curiously.

"Why are you interested?" she asked him.

"I'm always interested in a book, especially a historically significant one such as that." He replied back.

"How would you interpret Gregor's transformation?" he asked her.

Helga said nothing as she hesitated if she should even respond. Although once a viciously outspoken person, her years of isolation, as well as her sharp tongue often getting her into trouble, had rendered her mostly silent, if not somewhat introverted.

Yet for months she had been trying to revert the damage that she caused to herself. She wanted to be that outspoken person again, but she felt her usual habit kept on preventing her. After some thought and more hesitation, Helga finally pulled herself through and answered.

"Well...I would interpret Gregor's transformation exactly how his family saw it and him; as a burden. As cruel as it may sound, Gregor's family were right in getting rid of him."

Rodrigo was a bit surprised by Helga's rather morbid answer.

"Why do you think that way?" he asked her.

"I see Gregor's transformation as something out of his control. He woke up one day to find himself be a cockroach. That much is obvious. I would interpret the transformation as the unfairness and cruelty that life often throws at us and hinders our ability to live in this world. With Gregor, instead of adapting to his circumstance and be a cockroach, he was not able to let go of his past, aka his family, and so became depressed and later starved himself. He deserved his fate not because of his transformation or because his family's cruelty was right, but because he was not able to adapt. He chose to kill himself because he saw himself as a burden." she explained.

"Interesting." Rodrigo commented. "But wouldn't that same argument also go to his family? Shouldn't his family have also adapted to his circumstance? Isn't that what families are supposed to do?"

"Exactly, that is what family should do; help each other." Helga responded back. "But Kafka makes it clear that even family often fail to do that. It is really a sad and tragic story where there are no winners and only losers. The horror of Gregor's transformation is not that he turned into a vermin or a cockroach, but the way in which his family saw and treated him, AS a cockroach."

"Do you find any relation between the book's characters with yours?" he asked cautiously.

"Yes. I feel that I am Gregor's sister, Grete." she replied.

Rodrigo was again surprised by her answer. He had expected her to say that she related to Gregor, as a cockroach to her family who treat her in the same way as Gregor's family treated him; with contempt.

"I consider Gregor's transformation as an allegory to my family's situation. Gregor being something disgusting and deserving to be treated with contempt is allegorical with my neglect, my sister's upbringing, and whatever issues my parents had to deal with in the past. It is all of that trauma wrapped up into one. If you look at it my from perspective, I am Grete while my parents are Mr. and Mrs Samsa. Olga isn't there. As far I am concerned, she doesn't exist. But the very fact that she doesn't exist is allegorical to Gregor's 'disappearance'. Before Gregor's transformation, there were four people; after, there were now only three. And all three of us are trying to get rid of all the baggage that life threw at us."

"So you are saying that if your sister was not there, or never existed, things would have been worse for you and your family?" he asked her.

"No. I'm saying that her not being there would have been as much troubling for me and my parents as if she was there. It would have made no difference. Just because something is not there doesn't mean that it doesn't affect you. If anything, the very fact that something is not there affects you." she responded back.

"How so? Your parents have always compared your success with your sister's. If she never existed, your parents would have nothing to compare you with. And with the story, everything was ok before Gregor's transformation. It was only after the fact that things took a downturn." he remarked.

"That's just it, Latino boy; it's all an illusion!" Helga replied. "Gregor's transformation didn't take anything away from his family; it merely revealed their inability to deal with the loss and the unfairness of life. My parents merely projected all of their hopes and dreams onto Olga; all of their praises, attention and loved that they gave here were merely to enhance their own deflated ego, for their sake, not Olga's. As I said before, they failed to adapt. With Olga, had she never existed, my parents would have either still neglected me, or even if they showered all of their attention and love towards me, they would only do it if I performed in the exact way as they wanted me to, like they did with Olga. Olga's upbringing has been just as detrimental to her as their neglect of me has been. Either way, I still would have been miserable. Years back, I would have killed to have gotten at least a fraction of the amount of attention that Olga was getting. Now I realized that it is just as harmful as being neglected."

"And I guess that is why Olga decided to become an actress." she continued. " She soon realized my parents' folly and as a way to 'rebel' she wanted to become an actress, although I'm not sure if this was something conscious or unconscious. That decision, like Gregor, essentially made Olga 'disappear' in front of my parents' eyes and was replaced with something to look with contempt and undeserving. Miriam wasn't happy with the news, but Big Bob especially took it hard and he is still reeling over it. Heck, even I wasn't happy with the news at first. I felt that all the years of not being noticed and not feeling of deserving of their attention amounted to nothing because in the end, neither of us are getting the love and attention."

"Anyway, that's what Gregor's transformation means to me; a life of eternal struggle, or never even coming close to any sort of happiness or fulfillment." She concluded.

"So what do you propose should be done?" he asked her.

"As what you told me last year; take back control of your life and yourself and not allow the depravities of life get to you; change, adapt, make your own print onto life instead of constantly being a print of it." she replied back.

"And what do you think of the book?" he asked her.

"I like it, and I can understand why it is a masterpiece, but I think it's garbage." she responded back. "It is far too depressing and it sucks the life out of you. Like philosophy, I see no point in demonstrating the depravities of life, or even criticizing it unless you are also able to provide an alternative, if not at least provide a sense of hope to the reader. There is no hope without fear and no fear without hope. They work together, in perfect union. They feed off each other. You take out one of them, the other becomes meaningless."

As Rodrigo sat back and listened, he was rather pleased that not only Helga took to heart that he has been saying all this time, but that her intellect, at least with literature was superb. She did not disappoint him at all. Rather, he was impressed.

_Wow that's deep._ He thought.

"That saying, 'there is no hope without fear and no fear without hope', you got that from Spinoza, didn't you?" he asked her while smiling at her.

Helga didn't say anything, but merely smiled back in return.

"Well, I never would have interpreted Kafka's book that way. I'm impressed Helga." he said.

"Thanks." she casually responded back.

"Helga, whenever you get your first book published, I would like to be the first to buy it and get your autograph. You will no doubt rock the literature world." he complimented her.

"Thanks but I think you think too much of me." she said.

"No I don't. I think you really have a lot of talent and I know that you know too. That's why I asked you about the book; because I wanted to see it. You rarely show it. You should show it more often, it's really beautiful and I know that it is something people will truly appreciate it and if they don't, then they are morons." he said back.

Helga stayed quiet for a while as she pondered about Rodrigo had just said of her. No one other than Arnold and Phoebe had appreciated her talent and intellect. Yet here was this guy, an outsider who only just joined her group, amazed at her analysis of Franz Kafka's work, _The Metamorphosis_. What's more, despite Arnold and Phoebe's appreciation of her talent, literature and critical analysis of many artistic works were never their strongest forte. Phoebe was more mathematically and rationally analytical, as was Arnold, but was also a keen observer of human behaviour. Rodrigo on the other hand, was more in tune with analyzing literature works from various social, psychological and philosophical levels and thus had a greater understanding, albeit not as high as Helga, of them. Yet, he had proven to her on many occasions, not just today that he can rival her in critically analyzing artistic works.

"Thanks, Rodrigo." she finally said something to him. "That means a lot."

"No worries." he replied back casually.

For a short while, both teens remained quiet.

"Hey, what did the proton say to the electron?" he suddenly asked her.

"What?"

"Man, why do you always have to be so damn negative?!" he replied back with a smile.

After two seconds of silence, Rodrigo started hearing a bit of laughter beside him. Helga was actually laughing for once.

"Hahaha, you are hahaha, such a hahaha, loser, Rodrigo!" she said while laughing.

"Glad you liked it." He said while still relaxing on his seat.

* * *

**In case some of you may not know, a proton is a positively charged particle inside an atom while an electron is a negatively charged particle that orbits outside an atom.**

**Just a response to some reviews:**

**Ezza: Thank you!**


	24. Chapter 24 - Family Day

**Hi everyone! So I know that in the U.S. there is no Family Day Holiday, but we do have it in Canada, but only in some provinces. So I'm just going to input this holiday into my story.**

**It is February and it is Family Day, a newly celebrated holiday that was just emplaced by the Federal Government. Rodrigo is finding this new holiday to be unbearable, as it is only reminding him of the family that he lost back home and having his immediate family bear the brunt of it. As he strolls around Hillwood, he accidentally bumps into a friend, who is having her own issues with the new holiday. Having a common interest, they sit down and quickly bond with each other, much to Helga's jealousy and rage...**

* * *

It is now Friday and all the students were looking forward to a three day weekend; everyone, except Rodrigo. The Federal government had announced months ago that a new holiday was to be emplaced in the new year; Family Day. For the students, they merely supported it since it gave them a new day off to slack around. Rodrigo however, found it irritating. Despite getting an extra day off, he merely found it to be a slap in his face about the family that he lost back home. The last thing he needed was to reminded of that.

By this time, everyone in the gang knew of Rodrigo's issue with his family, so it was no secret to anyone when, during lunchtime, they found him to be quiet, sad and irritable about the upcoming weekend. Sid, Gerald and Stinky tried to raise his spirits by reminding him that at least he could enjoy three days off from school. They even made plans on what they could do.

"C'mon man, lighten up. As Arnold would say, look on the bright side; at least you have three days off from school. What do you say we hit the arcade sometime this weekend?" Gerald asked.

"Thanks Gerald. I don't feel like going, but I'll make an effort come out. It beats having to stay in my room and mope around. When are you guys meeting up?" he asked with little enthusiasm.

"Saturday evening. We couldn't do it for Friday; Harold and Stinky said they were busy." said Gerald.

"OK, I guess I'll come out." He asked, while trying to smile.

Gabriela was with the group and although she really appreciated Gerald's attempt help him, she was one of the few people who knew just how upset Rodrigo was and doubted that going to the arcade was going to help him. Yet, she remained quiet, happy that at least he was going out.

When lunchtime ended and everyone started to get to class, Gabriela approached Rodrigo and asked him,

"Gerald tiene la verdad. Yo sé que es duro, pero intenta ver la situación en términos positivo." (Gerald is right. I know it is hard, but try to see the bright side of it.)

"Si, lo sé Gabriela." (Yes, I know Gabriela) He said with a sad tone.

"¿Vas estar bien este fin de semana?" (Are you going to be OK this weekend?) she asked him worryingly.

"Si, si gracias. Eventualmente, esto va pasar" (Yes, thanks. Eventually, this will pass.) He said.

"¿Por qué no hablas con Helga? Yo sé que ella te puede ayudar." (Why don't you talk to Helga? I know she can help.) She asked.

"No, porque ella tiene sus propio problemas en su casa. Ella ya sabe mi situación, entonces no hay nada más que aumentar. Además, no quiero hacerme una carga para ella." (No, because she has her own problems at home. She already knows my situation, so there is nothing else to add. Besides, I don't want to become a burden for her.) he said.

"Bueno, si necesitas hablar con alguien, llámame, ok?" (Well, if you need to talk to someone, call me, ok?) she said with a smile as she rubbed his back.

"Gracias hermana" (Thanks, sister) he said with a smile.

Rodrigo had other reasons for not wanting to talk to Helga about his issues. Helga was another person who was extremely irritable at the new holiday, so much so that Rodrigo did not feel comfortable, or was simply afraid; to even bring up her own situation to her. During the last two days, he saw it her face; she walked around with a serious frowned face. Whenever she walked, she gave that bodily impression to not even approach her. If he felt that this new holiday was a serious slap in his face, then it was completely mocking Helga's situation. At least he still had his immediate family. Helga had a family that often ignored her existence, with the only family that she had never known having moved away more than two years ago. Rodrigo only mustered up the courage to make just one statement to her during history class on Thursday.

"If you want to talk about it, you know I'm here for you." was all he said.

Naturally, Helga said nothing and continued to look at the front of the classroom.

In the end, Rodrigo was having his own issue with the holiday, so he felt that he could take a break from Helga and just focus on himself for once. At the end of the day, when the bell rang, he took the bus and went home.

During dinner on a Friday, Rodrigo was still bothered and asked his parents if he can just take a long walk. Despite it being somewhat late, his parents gave him permission, on the condition that he would text them very hour to ensure he is ok, to which he agreed.

Once he finished his dinner, he grabbed his jacket and hat, and then went outside for his walk. He only started walking for two minutes before deciding to take the bus somewhere in the city. With that in mind, he hopped on the bus, and then waited to see where it would take him. It wasn't even twenty minutes before Rodrigo decided to jump off. Once he did, he started to regret his decision. This neighbourhood was somewhat of a rundown and he started to get a bit uncomfortable, so he proceeded to just walk for a bit and hoped to get out of this place.

Sure enough, he approached a better part of the neighbourhood, with cafes and restaurants. Feeling comfortable, he continued his walk. As he did so, he came across a block where he was about to turn, but had failed to notice another person coming from the opposite direction. As both people were in deep thought and not looking straight ahead, they accidently collided with each other, hitting their heads. Luckily, none of them fall down but were reeling from having a throbbing headache.

"Ow, jeez, be careful where you are walking next time." Rodrigo barked at the person.

"Rodrigo? I'm ever so sorry, I didn't see you." said the person.

Rodrigo looked up and was surprised to find her here.

"Lila? I'm sorry; I didn't know it was you. Are you ok?" he asked with a concerned look.

"I am, thank you. It was just a bump on the head, so I'm ever so sure the pain will go away soon." She said with a smile.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I live around here. I was just going for a walk." She replied back. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I don't live around here, but I was going for a walk as well. It's a bit cold and dark, why were going for a walk this late?" he asked.

Lila looked at him with sad eyes and replied back,

"I haven't really been thrilled about this new holiday being emplaced. It had been bothering me all week, so I decided to walk for a bit to see if it'll help."

"Yeah, I hear ya. It has been bothering me too, that's why I went out for a walk. Well, I took the bus first to get here, then I started my walk." He said.

"Oh? Is it because of your extended family?" she asked.

Rodrigo simply nodded, but wondered why the new holiday was bothering her. Due to the new holiday bothering her, he figured that like him and Helga, she must also be facing issues at home, but what exactly, he didn't know. It then occurred to him that despite knowing Lila since September, he knew very little about her. They had chatted either during lunchtime or after school, but unlike their other friends, he had not yet had the opportunity to sit down with her and have a heart-to-heart talk. And seeing how sad she looked, perhaps she needed a friend to talk to this evening.

"How come the new holiday is bothering you, if you don't mind my asking?" he asked politely.

"It is because I come from a single parent family. Well I know this holiday is suppose to incorporate all types of families, but I still can't help but feel left out, if not isolated." she said.

"You're dad is not around?" he asked.

"My mom..." she said softly as she looked away.

_Wow, I really don't know much about her. I have been spending most of my time helping Helga that I never bothered to even ponder at the idea that my other friends may have needed help._ He thought.

"Oh, I'm sorry Lila, I didn't mean to pry." He said.

"No, it's ok Rodrigo. I don't mind it." She said.

"Well, if you want to talk to someone Lila, I would be happy to help, if you are ok to talk to me." He said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Thank you Rodrigo that would be nice." She said with a smile.

"Did you want to go to that cafe, sit down and have some hot chocolate?" he offered as he pointed to it.

"Why yes, that would be ever so nice!" she exclaimed, finally showing her usual smile and optimism again.

The two teens then crossed the street, went inside, ordered their hot chocolate, then sat down to talk.

**In Helga's room...**

While Rodrigo was riding the bus, Helga was in her room, not only completely bored, but reeling from their 'fabulous family dinner' that she had just had.

_Ugh, what a joke!_ She thought bitterly.

During dinner, Big Bob rambled on about his latest success as usual, while Olga attempted to hide from him the latest bad news of yet another part that she was not able to obtain. Miriam, although sober, was so bored that she had trouble keeping herself awake. Helga, for her part, couldn't even get a word out.

While in her room, Helga attempted to amuse herself on the internet, but found any content she saw to be either boring or just not inspiring. After some time in failing to find anything entertaining, she closed her laptop, got her phone and started texting Rodrigo.

**At the San Bistro Café...**

Rodrigo and Lila had just sat down with their hot chocolates when Rodrigo's cell vibrated. He excused himself, got his phone, saw that it was Helga and read her message.

**Helga: Hey, what are you doing right now?**

**Rodrigo: I'm at a cafe with Lila.**

**Helga: Oh? You guys met up?**

**Rodrigo: No, I was taking a walk around her neighbourhood and I bumped into her. She says hi.**

**Helga: Which café are you guys in?**

**Rodrigo: San Bistro Café**

**Helga: Ah, good choice. ****Well don't let me interrupt, enjoy your evening with Little Miss Perfect.**

**Rodrigo: Thanks, I'll text you when I get home.**

**Helga: OK**

**Back in Helga's room...**

Helga had to use all of her strength to text Rodrigo in a casual manner.

_Just what is he doing with Little Miss Perfect?! What does he mean that he 'bumped into her'? What the hell was he doing in her neighbourhood?_ She thought angrily.

_Crimeny, I gotta stop getting so jealous over this! So what if he is meeting up with her? He is not my boyfriend so he can go out with whomever he wants to!_

As much as Helga tried to stop thinking about it, she wasn't able to force her mind from reeling itself back into the subject.

_What are they talking about? What does he have to talk to her about? Is it something important? Why didn't he come to me? Ugh, I am such a basket case!_

Then Helga had a thought, a thought she had not had in a long while. For some time, she resisted the temptation, citing on borderland insanity, if not just downright creepy if she were to do it.

_But...it's not like I haven't done it before. I could maybe...no, no that's insane. It was crazy when I did it with Arnold and I'm in love with him! With Rodrigo, it would just be something out of a horror movie!_ She thought.

Despite the resistance, eventually she relented. It's not like she had anything else better to do.

_Screw it! Won't be the first time._ She thought.

She immediately got up, grabbed her jacket, hat and gloves, put on her boots then went outside to catch the bus to spy on him.

**At the San Bistro Café...**

After almost 30 minutes, using her GPS on her phone, she found the café where Rodrigo and Lila were at. She cautiously approached the café and saw both of them there, sitting and talking on the far end of the café. She quietly went inside and hid herself with either the customers walking by, or with the pillars as covers. She examined the room and saw a vacant table not far from them where they were sitting and quickly made her way there, while grabbing a newspaper. She opened the newspaper to cover herself, sat down and proceeded to listen in.

By the time Helga arrived and sat down to spy on them, Rodrigo and Lila were just getting into the conversation that brought them there in the first place. The first 30 minutes were casual, unimportant talk.

"So how come you were walking in this neighbourhood? You didn't walk from all the way to your house did you?" Lila asked him.

"No, no. I took the bus. I wanted to talk a long walk and since I already know the neighbourhood by heart, I wanted to go somewhere else, so I took the bus and just randomly got out here. I just have a lot in my mind. This new Family Day holiday is a complete farce in my opinion. Instead of being something worthy of celebration, it just brings painful memories" he said.

"I'm afraid I'm ever so much in agreement with you, Rodrigo. I'm not entirely appreciative of this new holiday either. Even my dad seems bothered by it, but he tries to hide it." she said.

"Because of your mother?" he asked.

Lila simply nodded in silence and in sadness.

Rodrigo waited for a while, as she seemed to be wanting to tell him about her.

"My mom left us when I was little." she finally said.

"What? Why?" he asked in surprise.

"My dad used to always say that my mom was a free spirited person. She used to like going to places and doing things. When I was born, my dad said that she was not able to cope with the new responsibilities of a parent. She felt...constricted and it started affecting her mood. There were times when she would be very happy and cheerful and other times when she became resentful, if not angry. Eventually, she couldn't handle it anymore and out of the blue, left us. I was four when she left. It tore my father apart, but he managed to hold things together for my sake." she explained.

"I remember that day well." she continued. "I can still remember when my mom walked out of the door, never to see her again. She never even said goodbye to me."

"Lila...I'm so sorry to hear that." Rodrigo said to her with a serious disbelief look on his face.

_How could she do that to her?_ He thought angrily.

Lila then stopped talking for a second as she slumped into further sadness, recalling the memory when her mom walked out the door for the last time, never to see her again.

"Lila, I'm really sorry if this is bothering you. We can stop talking about it." Rodrigo said as he noticed her sad facial expression.

"No, it's ok Rodrigo. It's still a little hard to talk about it, but I can ever so manage it." she remarked with a weak smile.

Seeing that Lila wanted to continue talking, Rodrigo continued.

"Is that why you came to Hillwood? To start a new life?"

"Kind of. My dad couldn't maintain the farm on his own and was forced to sell it. We decided to move here to start a new, so it was mostly for financial reasons."

"I'm really sorry this happened to you, Lila." he said.

"It's ok. I mean, it has been ever so hard for us, but we have been doing well since we came here. My dad got a good job not long after we came here and he has been steadily moving up. So despite the circumstances, I am ever so certain for a bright future." she said with a smile.

"Now you sound a lot like Arnold." he said.

Lila merely giggled at the comparison.

"Ya, what's one of many things that we had a lot in common. I guess that's why he liked me back in the fourth grade." she mentioned.

"Really? I shouldn't be surprised. Did Helga know?" he asked.

"Oh yes, everyone knew. It was no secret that Arnold liked me. He tried many times to go out with me, but I was never able to return my feelings for him." she said.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Well, I guess it's because we for the same reason why he liked me. I just thought we had so many things in common that I thought I was going to get bored. That, and there was someone else who liked him." she said while giggling.

"Helga? You knew that she liked Arnold before they even got together? How did you know?" he asked her.

"Oh gosh, it was back in the fourth grade, when there was a play and Helga was attempting to play the role of Juliet because Arnold was set to play Romeo. I was one of the three girls that was chosen for Juliet, and when Rhonda and Sheena dropped out, I was given the part. Helga tried to dissuade me from being Juliet, but I held firm. It was only when I asked her why she wanted the part so badly that she finally confessed that she liked Arnold. But I always suspected that she may have liked him, so I was not surprised when she confirmed it. I was surprised that she told me at all." she explained.

"I'm assuming that you eventually did give her the role for playing Juliet?" he asked.

Lila nodded.

"Oh yes, and they both performed ever so spectacularly!"

Rodrigo simply smiled at the thought of Helga going through such lengths just to be close to Arnold.

"That's very cute, if not romantic of her." he said.

Lila again just nodded.

"Sorry, I digress. Going back to your mother, I'm surprised that given your situation, you and Helga are not close. I mean, with both your situations, you guys could have supported each other." he said.

"Our friends at that time didn't know about my situation. They always wondered where my mom was, but no one ever asked about it. Ironically, back in the sixth grade, it was right after Mother's Day, I was feeling pretty down about it and during recess, Helga saw me sitting on my own and came up to me to ask me why I was so down." she explained.

"Hehe, I remember exactly how she asked me. It was, 'hey why so glum, chump?'" she said as she tried to imitate Helga.

_Hey! I don't sound like that!_ Helga thought annoyingly.

"Because of Helga's tough exterior, I initially wasn't particularly comfortable talking about this with her, but by that time, I was having such a hard time keeping it bottled inside that I just needed to talk to someone and since Helga was the one that approached me, I told her about it. After I was done explaining it, I was waiting for her usual insensitive remarks or to just tell me to 'suck it up'. But instead, she said nothing and just put her arm around me because by that time, I was crying."

"What happened next?" he asked.

"Well, Helga said she understood the pain because of her own situation with her mom and the rest of her family. Quite surprisingly, she told then me about it." she replied.

"Did you ever find out why she decided to tell you, apart from the obvious?" he asked.

"Well, there are a lot of factors. I guess the first thing that pops into mind is that I was part of a Big Sister program and Helga's older sister, Olga, was my Big Sister. Seeing as how I was sometimes in their house, I guess Helga felt comfortable enough to tell me. Another thing is that after she and Arnold got together, she no longer saw me as a threat, so I guess she warmed up to me."

"She saw you as a threat? How? You said you rebuffed all of Arnold's advances, didn't you?" he asked.

"Yes, but unfortunately that wasn't enough. Whenever Arnold and I hanged out together, I could see from the corner of my eye that was Helga was not happy with Arnold giving this much attention to me, even if I did not like him that way. I knew she was jealous, but I never said anything to her and just let it go. It's not like she did anything to hurt me." she said.

"After her telling me about her home life, I wouldn't say we became close friends, but we become somewhat close. Although I never pried, Helga sometimes came to me and told me things either in her home or about anything with her relationship with Arnold and asked for help or advice. But we rarely hanged out together. I guess we are just different people. We really don't have that much in common. We don't even share the same taste in music or films. But nonetheless I still consider her as a friend." she continued to explain.

"Did you try to reach out her out when Arnold left?" he asked.

"I tried, but just as with Gerald, she ignored my calls. I guess she wanted to be alone, so in the end, I respected it. Even when high school started and I would see her, well, you know Helga. It was hard trying to talk to her. She scowled at me a few times when I attempted to approach her. I felt pretty bad what she was going through and I wanted to help, just like how she helped me, but it was hard trying to get close to her, physically close. In the end, I ended up agreeing with Gerald; if she didn't want our help, then there was nothing that we could do for her, so I left it at that. With me, I was able to take a chance and accept her help. Unfortunately, she was not able to do the same."

"That sounds...sad." he said.

"It is. But at least now she has as a friend and I'm ever so thankful for that. Even though I wasn't able to help her out, I'm glad she met someone who has been able to help her get back on her feet. Thank you Rodrigo." she said with a smile.

"Uh, you're welcome." he reluctantly said.

As Helga listened attentively to their conversation, she remembered the times when Lila had attempted to approach her a few times to see if she was ok. Feeling that sense of guilt encroaching on her, she recalled those same times when she either ignored her and simply walked past her without saying a word, or harshly rebuffed her.

_She only wanted to help, but I was too much into my own misery and ego to even acknowledge it, let alone appreciate it._ she thought somewhat sadly.

Despite not being close friends, Helga had always considered Lila to be mature enough to trust her, at the very least more so than Gerald. Had it not been for their lack of common interests, and of Lila's bright and cheerful personality that sometimes annoyed her, Helga had no doubt that they could have been good friends.

She then got out of her mind and started to listen again as Lila asked Rodrigo a question.

"I assume you must have been really close to your extended family back home in order for it to continue to hurt you?" she asked as she took a sip from hot chocolate.

"Yeah, I was. I was especially close to one of my uncles, Agustín and his kids. He was so funny. He would always tell jokes and was one of the most welcoming people you'd ever meet. He was serious when he needed to be, but he was the person you can always go to if you were having a bad day or if you needed help. Having him around, he brought a lot life into the party." he said while smiling, remembering those happy times.

However, his smile quickly faded when he continued with his story. "When I told everyone that I felt the Christian faith, he was on one of my harshest critiques. He tried everything to convinced me to recant, but I countered his every argument, which only infuriated him. I had never seen him so angry; no one ever had. It was actually scary. Eventually, he told my parents that I and they were no longer welcomed to his house and he cut all ties with us. My cousins also ceased all communication with us. That hurt. Out of all the family members, him showing his back on me, that really hurt..." he had to immediately stop talking as he felt getting choked up a bit, as he recalled the painful memories. He merely put his hands on his eyes and started rubbing them.

"Rodrigo, are you ok?" Lila asked him with a worried tone.

Rodrigo said nothing and simply shook his head.

"No...I'm not ok..." he said angrily.

Helga looked on helplessly as she saw Rodrigo be visibly hurt by the memories. Despite his cheerful and confident personality, it is obvious that his family issue still clearly bothered him. She didn't know why, but she felt a huge urge to go over there and comfort him. Feelings of empathy and guilt were infiltrating her entire body, causing her heart to ache for him. After seeing Rodrigo in this much pain, for a moment, she felt like crying as well; for the deep sadness she felt for him. But, she reframed from shedding any tears. As much as she wanted to go over there to comfort him, she knew she couldn't. She had to severely restrain herself from doing it. Worse, she now had to watch as Lila attempted to comfort him.

"I've lost everything because of my confession." Rodrigo explained with extreme sadness in his voice. "I never thought they would have done this to me, to my parents. They completely destroyed what family was supposed to mean to me. I never would have done this to them, never. I feel like a leper, being abandoned on some mountain to die."

"As far as they are concerned, my family and I are dead to them. Now I have to live my life as if they are dead to me." he continued.

Like Helga, Lila also felt deep empathy and sadness for him. Despite losing her mom, she still had her extended family back in the country and although she was far away from them, she at least the reassurance that she and her dad would always be welcomed in their homes. Rodrigo did not have the luxury.

"Rodrigo, I'm every so sorry to hear that." she said to him, as she held his hand in support, much to Helga's chagrin. "I don't understand why they were not able to get past your atheism. You are still the same person." she said.

Rodrigo managed to regain some of his composure to allow him to talk again.

"I tried telling them that, but they were hell bent on retaining to their old prejudice. Christianity has been engrained into society so much that it is difficult to see anything outside of it. Religion has nothing to do with that though. It is simply a matter of ideology and a lack of understanding. Basically ignorance and lack of opportunities there have plagued the region. Their faith is the only thing that many people have left, and so throwing that away is extremely difficult; it gives people hope." he explained.

"How often do you think about them?" she asked.

"I try not to think about them. It is only when I'm reminded of them that I remember, such as now." he explained.

"I'm just thankful to have you guys since I came to Hillwood. You guys have made the transition easier than I thought it was going to be and for that, I thank you Lila." he continued with a smile.

Lila smiled back, but then said,

"You know, I could also say the same for you and Helga. With your family situation, how come you are not with her supporting each other? How come you decided to take a walk on your own?"

"We have supported each other since we both spoke about our family issues." he explained. "She comes to me sometimes and tells me about it and I sit there and listen. With me, I haven't really talked about it much because it was only a few occasions when something would remind me of them, that I started feeling the pain and needed someone to talk to."

"It's not like I don't like talking to her about it. It's just...well...I know that she has been having a harder time dealing with hers, so I didn't want to burden her with mine. I just feel that her issue is bigger than mine, so I didn't say anything to her."

Helga listened on with a complete surprising and irritated look on her face.

"Did she come to you talking about it?" Lila asked.

"No, but I could tell it was bothering her, only this time it looked pretty bad. I only said to her that if she wanted to talk about it, she can always talk to me. But I know there is only so much talking can do. She wants to resolve it or get it out of her life and neither she nor I can do that." Rodrigo replied.

As Helga continued to listen to their conversation, she couldn't help but feel a bit aggravated by Rodrigo's comment. She didn't appreciate that he would actually think her issues were bigger than his. As far as she was concerned, his issue was just as bad as hers. The only difference is that while Rodrigo was not around them to be reminded of the loss, Helga still lived with her family. The last thing she wanted was Rodrigo to think of her as being selfish. Yet, she couldn't but feel that she was being a bit selfish during the week. She never once approached Rodrigo to even ask him how he felt about the new holiday, let alone if it caused him to think about his family. Like always, she focused on her own issues and blocked everyone and everything else out.

"You know Rodrigo, you shouldn't assume that Helga's issue is bigger than yours. Have you actually spoken to her about that?" Lila asked.

"Of course not." Rodrigo replied.

"Then how do you know she wouldn't want to hear about it? Even if she has her own problems, that doesn't mean she wouldn't be there for you. If anything, I'm ever so sure she will not hesitate to see you. Helga can be quite a caring person if you give her the chance." she said.

"I guess, you're right." he confessed.

After a few more minutes of talking, Rodrigo realized that it was getting late and needed to head home.

"Sorry Lila, but I have to get going. It's getting late. I hope I was able to help you tonight." he said.

"You did, thank you ever so much Rodrigo. I hope I was able to help you a bit." she said with a smile.

"You did, thank you Lila. I needed someone to talk to about this." Rodrigo replied.

"You see? Talking does help." she said with a smile.

Helga hid behind the newspaper as the two teens got up and headed outside. They hugged each other and went their ways. Helga had to wait for Rodrigo to catch the bus and leave before she was able to get out and wait for the next bus.

After a while, the next bus arrived and Helga hopped inside to go home. Still bothered by what Rodrigo said, Helga decided to take a drastic step to prove him wrong.

**The next day...**

Helga arrived at Rodrigo's house around noon and knocked on the door. After a short while, someone opened the door, but it was not Rodrigo.

"Yes? Can I help you?" asked Rodrigo's father.

"Uh Hiya. I'm a friend of Rodrigo from school. I just came to speak with him." she said with a nervous smile.

Rodrigo's father, Alfonso, quickly scanned the blonde girl that was in front of him and when he saw the two pigtails, he instantly recognized her. He smiled at her and said,

"Oh, you must be Helga. Please, come in." as he opened the door to allow her to come in.

"May I take your coat?" he politely asked.

"Gracias" (Thank you) she replied as she took her coat off and gave it to him to hang it.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked him.

"Rodrigo has talked a lot about you. He considers you as one of his closest friends." he said with a smile.

"Of course he has." she said sarcastically, while scanning the house.

Taking notice of her infamous sarcasm, "No te preocupes. No me ha dicho nada que no debería saber." (Don't worry. He didn't say anything that I do not need to know.) he said with a smile.

Helga simply smiled at him.

"Rodrigo, higo! Tienes un visitante!" (Rodrigo, son! You have a visitor!) he called out.

"¿Quien es, papa?" (Who is it, dad?) he asked back.

"Helga!" he called out again.

Helga could hear as Rodrigo instantly started walking and came downstairs. As he came down and see her, he was surprised.

"Gracias papa. Hey, what up? Is everything ok?" he asked as his dad started to walk away into the living room.

"Well ya, why wouldn't it be?" she asked.

"Because you unexpectedly showed up at my house. What's up?" he asked with a confusing look.

Helga said nothing and simply stared at him with a dumbfounded look.

"Oh..." was all she said.

"Oh?" Rodrigo asked, being more confused now.

Helga realized she completely failed to come up with a reason for her showing up uninvited.

_Wow, I really did not think this through._ She thought nervously.

Helga had always prided herself in coming up with the most elaborate ideas and schemes, down to the last detail. Yet on this occasion, she was so bent on wanting to help Rodrigo with his issue that she completely overlooked to plan this properly.

She quickly thought of something fast, while trying to retain her composure.

_Come on Helga old girl, think, think!_

"I uh, well, I'm um here because...you never texted me back last night doofus. So I got worried." she finally replied back.

Rodrigo just stood there, a bit surprised by her reply. It's true that he forgot to text her back after seeing Lila the night before. But he also knew that Helga never texted him to inquiry on where he was. He knew she would have at least have done that before coming to his house. Although he wasn't buying her story, he nonetheless decided to humour her.

"Sorry Helga, I didn't mean to get you worried. I forgot to text you when I got back." he said, while trying to sound genuine.

"You must have really enjoyed being in the company of Little Miss Perfect if you forgot to text me." she said. "See that it doesn't happen again." she warned him.

"It won't happen again." he replied back. He then asked, "Did you want come upstairs?"

"I might as well. I'm here already." she said with a smirk.

Before the two teens up to Rodrigo's room, Rodrigo quickly went to the fridge to get some Yahoo sodas to take with them. They then went upstairs into his room.

After they settled down a bit, Helga got a chance to look at his room. It was rather simple, but none of the typical trapping one would find in a typical male teenager's room. There were no posters of his favorite athletes, nor of any hot female, or male model. He did have two posters of two people whom Helga had no idea who they were. There were no toys or any collectable items on his desk or shelf. He had a laptop on his desk, which contained some computer games. The one thing he did have in abundance were his huge collections of books. He had a shelf completely full of them. Helga went there to quickly scan what type of books he had. They ranged from different subjects, from history, to psychology, from mathematics to even some poetry.

_Wow, this guy is a nerd._ She thought to herself.

After a while, Helga then went to look at the posters of the two men that were taped on Rodrigo's wall.

"Who are they?" she asked him.

"The one on the left is Baruch de Spinoza, the Jewish philosopher that I mentioned to you about. The one on the right is a Danish physicist, Niels Bohr. He was one of the main proponents for quantum mechanics in physics. They are my heroes." Rodrigo explained.

_Ya, total nerd._ She thought to herself.

"If you're thinking I'm a nerd, I'm not. I'm an intellectual." He corrected her with a smirk.

Helga looked straight at him with a startled look, surprised that he was able to pick up on what she was thinking. Yet she appeared unfazed and merely shrugged her shoulders.

"Sure, whatever floats your boat, Latino boy." She said to him nonchalantly.

While Helga looked around his room, Rodrigo sat on his bed. After a while, he decided to end this charade and bluntly ask her why she was here.

"Not that I don't appreciate you being worried about me; I think that's sweet of you, but why are you really here? We both know that you could have texted me back to see where I was before you came here."

Helga knew Rodrigo was never going to fall for that story. She just needed time to think about what she was going to say.

"Fine, you got me. I came here because...well...I was a bit...jealous that you went to talk to Lila about your family problem rather than me." she said sheepishly.

"How do you know I was talking to her about my family problem?" he asked.

"Oh please Rodrigo. I know that this new dumb holiday was eating you up inside. It was obvious during this week. And I already know about Lila's mom. Are you going to actually tell me that you two did not take the chance to talk about it?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Ok, ya we did talk about it. But that bothered you?" he asked.

Helga then looked away as she nervously responded back.

"Yes. You never even came to me at all last week to talk about it. And before you get to it, yes I didn't approach you because I was not thrilled about this stupid Family Holiday crap either and I was moping about it. But I also didn't approach you because I thought you wanted to be alone for a while and I'd figure you would eventually want to talk."

Rodrigo looked with a bit of amazement. Although he knew Helga cared for him, he didn't think she cared for him this much, up to the point that it would bother her.

"Sorry, Helga. I just didn't want to burden you with my problem. I knew you were bothered by this new holiday as well and I didn't want to make it worse for you by getting you worried about me." he said.

"Well, you failed miserably on that one." she said with a smirk. "And to add to that, that's why you should have come to me; because I know what that's like, doi. We're in the same boat, more or less. And because...we're friends." she finished with a smile.

Rodrigo smiled when he heard Helga say they are friends. He remembered last year when he first said that, only for Helga to harshly rebuff it. Despite it being only months, he felt they have come a long way since those days. Indeed, he felt they were like old friends. Despite his own growing feelings for her, he was actually happy to hear Helga say that.

"You should know by now Latino boy that despite my mood and hostile appearance, you can always come and talk to me. I promise I won't bite...much" she said with a joking grin.

Rodrigo smiled and said, "Thanks Helga. I'm sorry for not coming to you to talk about it. I'll do it next time."

Helga smiled back. Then without warning, she got up, went to him, then sat down next to him. Suddenly, to Rodrigo's surprise, she wrapped her left arm around his right arm and held his hand.

"So, wanna talk about it?" she asked.

Despite having an agreement with Phoebe to keep a distance, Rodrigo made no attempt to let go and continued to hold on to her hand, enjoying the comfort of feeling it.

"Yeah. But you go first." he said.

* * *

**I would like to remind everyone that this issue is not something that should be taken lightly, nor is this something that, stereotypically, only Muslim families go through. Even in North and Latin America, depending on how strong a tradition or ritual is, a person having different views or moving away from that tradition can cause serious frictions within the family.**


	25. Chapter 25 - The Source

**Hi everyone! So in this chapter, Rhonda hears from her 'source' that someone saw what lies beneath Helga's big blue hat.**

* * *

**Fashion design class...**

Rhonda entered her fashion design class and sees her rival, Jennifer McDonald talking to a group of their classmates. She simply rolled her eyes and continued toward her seat, ignoring the commotion and the gossip that no doubt Jennifer as already spreading.

Although usually not willing to pass up on a gossip, Rhonda makes any attempt to stay away from Jennifer McDonald, a beautiful, pure blonde girl, with a charming personality, but with an almost sadistic nature. while Rhonda gossips either for the fun of it, or to pass on crucial information, Jennifer uses gossip as a political tool, often blackmailing her fellow students into doing whatever she wills, or, as it sometimes was the case, unleashing sensitive information throughout the school just to humiliate them. As Rhonda approached her seat and sat down, she would have figured this day to be like any other day, except when she heard Jennifer say Helga's name.

"I'm telling you, I saw it. Helga came into the bathroom while I was inside the urinal stand. I peeked in from a hole and saw her remove that ugly blue hat and saw a pink bow." Jennifer explained.

"OK. Why is that important?" a female student asked her.

"Think about it. We all know how the unibrow girl viciously guards her hat. Remember, she punched some kid for trying to take it out from her head. We all thought it was because of the hat that is important to her, but it's not. It's that pink bow. For some reason, it is important to her that she needs to hide it."

"How do you figure it is important to her?" the same female student asked her.

"Why else hide it from others? I mean, obviously it would be better if she just left it at home, but with anything personal, you would want to wear it. Only with her, she hides it because I'm sure she does not want anyone messing with it."

"And what are you going to do with this information? Take her hat and expose it?" another student asked.

"Hell no. She'll punch my lights out. Besides, I don't need to do anything. I'll just let the grape vine do that work for me." she said while smiling confidently.

"What's this I hear about Helga, Jennifer? Are you seriously going to make a commotion over a dumb piece of information like that?" Rhonda asked her as she had already got up and walked toward her nemesis.

"Why do you care, Rhonda? You're not friends with her. The amount of times you have complained about her, I'm surprised you're defending her." Jennifer commented.

"I'm not defending her. I'm just asking what do you hope to gain with this piece of information? So what if she has a pink bow? So what if she doesn't?" Rhonda replied back. "Actually," she added with an almost evil smile, "I'm concerned for your safety. You know how violent Helga can get with people who cross her. Are you sure you want to play with that fire?"

Jennifer simply smiled back and replied, "Oh, don't worry about me, Rhonda. I have an ace card up my sleeve that will neutralize that. And as for your question, well let's just say that it's a bit of payback for all the students that fell victims to her punches. I'm sure everyone here would agree that she deserves what's coming to her."

Some students nodded in agreement. Rhonda however, was undeterred.

"Oh come on, Jennifer. We all know that you don't care for those students who were on the receiving end of her punches. And besides, I'm sure you know that it is because those 'poor' victims actually deserved it. So long as you leave her alone, she will leave you alone." Rhonda explained. "Take it from me. I may not be close to her, but I have survived her for many years and not once has she threw a punch at me."

Rhonda couldn't care less about Jennifer's safety. Believe it or not, she was actually concerned for Helga. She knew that after her fight with Rodrigo last year, this was Helga's last chance and if she lost her cool, she would be expelled for sure this time. Unlike Jennifer, Rhonda knew that Helga did have a pink bow since the fourth grade, but why would she still have it after all these years, only to cover it up, was beyond her. She only knew that Helga had her reasons and she agreed with Jennifer that it must hold some special significance to her. Unfortunately, all of Rhonda's warnings and attempts to deter Jennifer from going through this went unheard.

"Nice try Rhonda, but Helga is going to get what she deserves. Just because you survived her doesn't mean that she gets to spread the fear around this entire school and act like she owns this place. It's time that one of us takes a stand, and I'm planning on doing that." she said with an evil grin to her face. "Oh and by the way, the reason why you survived her is because you are afraid of her and will not do or say anything to get her angry, which she usually does for the stupidest of reasons. Unlike you, I'm not afraid of that dumb unibrow girl."

Rhonda just sighed in annoyance.

**During lunchtime...**

_Hail (hail)  
What's the matter with your head, yeah  
Hail (hail)  
What's the matter with your mind  
And your sign an-a, oh-oh-oh  
Hail (hail)  
Nothin' the matter with your head  
Baby find it, come on and find it  
Hail, with it baby  
'Cause you're fine  
And you're mine, and you look so divine_

_Come and get your love  
Come and get your love  
Come and get your love  
Come and get your love..._

Rodrigo came into the lunchroom practically dancing, albeit a bit silly, while listening to Redbone's _Come and get your love_ song on his headphones. Ever since he watched the first movie of _Guardians of the Galaxy_ a few weeks ago, he fell in love with the music that appeared at the beginning of the film. While most thought it was an outdated or annoying song, he thought it was very catchy.

" What's the matter with you feel right. Don't you feel right baby. Hail, oh yeah. Get it from the main vine, all right I said-a find it, find it. " he sang to the music as he danced his way into the lunchroom.

When midway, he saw Rhonda talking to Sid and Stinky at their usual lunch table. Gabriela was also there with them. The rumours of Helga's pink bow have began to spread and Rhonda was talking to Sid and Stinky about it. She knew that they would eventually hear the rumour, so she decided to tell them about it instead of hearing it from others.

As Rodrigo approached, he instantly knew that with the way Rhonda was talking to Sid and Stinky, she was up to her usual gossipy trend, much to his chagrin. For a moment, he thought about just turning around and eating elsewhere. He had no interest in listening to gossip.

_Man, although I don't mind hanging out with Rhonda, I hate it when she engages in gossip, especially in areas that are not her concern. She has her moments when she can have deep and meaningful conversations. I wish she could engage herself more into that rather than in other people's problems._ He thought annoyingly.

Finally, being too lazy to find another spot, he relented and walked towards the table.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Rodrigo greeted them.

"Hey, Rod. Ms. Rhonda here was justtelling us some real piece of information about Helga." Stinky explained.

"Figures." he said as he rolled his eyes. "Why Rhonda, I didn't know you had a death wish." he said to her sarcastically.

Rhonda didn't bother to answer him and simply gave him a smirk.

"Apparently, Rhonda has a 'source' who knows why Helga always wears that big blue hat. She still has her pink bow under it!" exclaimed Sid.

Now things became serious. Rodrigo became stunned and went completely white when he heard this.

_How did this happen?! Helga is always so careful to hide her pink bow. How did Rhonda's 'source' find out?! Who the hell is this 'source'?_ He thought to himself.

Despite the horror he was experiencing inside, he reframed from showing it to everyone and calmly asked, "what pink bow and what do you mean by 'still'?"

"Helga used to wear a pink bow since preschool. We just thought she liked wearing it and didn't think much of it. Once she started wearing that ugly hat, we figured she got rid of it. But now that my 'source' found out that she is still wearing it, well, we are a bit surprised by this. We know it must hold some special significance, but what that is, we don't know." Rhonda explained.

"And how did your 'source' find out about this?" Rodrigo asked her.

"My 'source' was inside the urinal stand when Helga went inside the washroom and through a hole, peeked through it and saw her taking her hat off to adjust her pink bow, apparently." Rhonda explained, as she rolled her eyes.

Rodrigo could tell that this piece of gossip was not delighting Rhonda as it usually would. In fact, she seemed bothered by it. While Rodrigo thought this to be interesting, his priority right now was to find out who this 'source' was and put an end to this gossip which, unfortunately, just so happens to be true.

"Well, I'm afraid your 'source' is wrong, Rhonda. Helga has taken her hat off numerous times in front of me and I saw no pink bow on the top of her head." he lied to them.

Everyone was stunned by this.

"She took off her hat?! Helga never takes it off?!" exclaimed Sid.

Rodrigo attempted to look surprised in order make the lie more authentic.

"Why is that a deal? She just doesn't like anyone touching her hat, other than her. She has no problem taking it off. It was not some big secret that she told me. She just one day took it off and that was that." he said while he shrugged his shoulders.

While Sid and Stinky seemed to have bought it, Rhonda remained unconvinced.

"Well, perhaps she just didn't want you to see it, Rodrigo. There could have been times when she may have just decided not to wear it." she said.

Rodrigo was a surprised by this and wondered if his previous conclusion of Rhonda being bothered by this gossip was wrong.

"Well, that could be case. But I find it highly unlikely that of all the times when Helga took her hat off, there was no pink bow and when she didn't take it off, she had her pink bow. Why bother go through all of that, when she could just not take her hat off, period." he countered.

"Either way, whether there is a pink bow or not, Helga is not going to take this lightly at all. We need to find your source to put a stop to this before Helga hears about this. Who is your source, Rhonda?" he continued.

"Uh, I'm not going to tell you, Rodrigo. There is a reason why I call the person my 'source'." she said at him.

"Rhonda, you know very well that if Helga hears about this, she will probably snap again and may get expelled if she becomes aggressive again against another student. I know you guys are not close, but I know that you don't want that to happen." he explained. "And besides," he continued. "what would happen if Helga finds out that you have been spreading this rumour as well?

"I wasn't spreading any rumour. I only told Sid and Stinky and Gabriela, which I know they will eventually hear it, so I wanted to make sure they hear it from me and not from someone else." she countered.

"That maybe so, but you sure didn't make it any better and what makes you think your 'source' will protect you from Helga? That person may rat you out." he countered.

Rhonda, clearly starting to get nervous of what Helga might do to her, finally relented.

"Ugh, fine. I'll show you where she is." she said.

"Thanks, Rhonda. I'm doing this for everyone's sake; yours, Helga's and even your source."

"Sure ,whatever you say, Rodrigo." she said with a sigh and told him to follow her.

"Gabriela, can you come with me, please? I might need back up." he asked her.

Gabriela was by now, not even paying attention to the conversation and was surprised by Rodrigo asking her to come with her.

"Sure..." she said, as she got up and followed them. Stinky and Sid remained behind at the lunch and began to eat their lunch.

After a few minutes, Rhonda walked where Jennifer was sitting on the ground close to her locker with her friends. Stopping some distance between them, Rhonda then turned to look at Rodrigo and said, "her, Jennifer McDonald is my source. I heard it from her."

"Jennifer? Why would you try to defend her? I thought you didn't like her?" Rodrigo asked her.

"I don't. But she and I have a spoken agreement not to rat each other out if we over hear some gossip. It's a complicated relationship. I didn't want to say anything not for Jennifer's sake, but for Helga's. I figured that if none of you knew my source's identity, she would not know either. But knowing her, Helga will beat it out of me anyways and I don't trust Jennifer." Rhonda explained.

"Just for your information Rodrigo, I've already tried to convince her to drop it but she remained adamant to spread this rumour. What are you planning on doing?" she said.

"I'm going to try and reason with her and get her to stop spreading these rumours." he said.

Rhonda merely crossed her arms in annoyance and said to him, "good luck."

Rodrigo then walked towards Jennifer.

"Hi, Jennifer?" he began to speak.

"Yes, who's asking?" she asked.

"Rodrigo. Can I speak to you for a brief moment in private?" he asked politely.

"What for?" she asked, while still not moving from her spot.

"It's about Helga." he replied back nonchalantly.

Jennifer got up and walked with Rodrigo some distance away from her friends. Then Rodrigo began to talk.

"I understand that you have been spreading some false rumours about Helga?"

"If you are referring to the pink bow, it's not a false rumour. I saw it with my own eyes." she said back.

"Look, I'm not sure what you think you saw, but I can tell you that there is no pink bow. I'm a friend of Helga's and I know for a fact that she has taken her hat off numerous times right in front of me and there has never been a pink bow on her head." he explained.

"Maybe to you she never showed it, but on that day, I saw it crystal clear on her head." she asked with a surprised grin to her face. "Granted, it was less than a minute, but enough time for me to know that I wasn't seeing things."

Jennifer then took a quick scan at Rodrigo and recognized who he was.

"Wait, I know who you are now. You're that guy who almost got clobbered by Helga over those dating rumours last year. Some 'friend' you go there, Rodrigo." Jennifer said to him sarcastically. "I'm surprised you're still her friend after what she almost did to you. Actually, I'm surprised Helga even has friends." she continued while laughing.

"Yes, Helga does has friends." he replied back firmly. Wanting to get back on topic, he then added, "but why does it matter if she has a pink bow or not? Who the hell cares and why bother spreading them?"

"There's no point in having a pink bow if you are covering it up; unless it means something to you. I know she tends to viciously guard that ugly hat and I thought it was because that hat meant something to her, when it was that pink bow that holds some special significance." she said while crossing her arms.

"Personally, I find this whole cover up to be rather pathetic." she added while laughing a bit.

Rodrigo didn't take too kindly of her comment and laughter, but he remained patient.

"And why does that matter to you? Just like how you and Rhonda do not like it when people touch your hair or clothes, why should other people touch Helga's hat or pink bow? Even if there was a pink bow, which I still doubt, she doesn't trust people to not touch it, which people sometimes stupidly do." he explained.

Jennifer than countered by rhetorically asking Rodrigo, "Then why does she wear it here if she doesn't want people to see it, let alone touch it? You wear something because you would want people to see it, but she is doing the exact opposite; wearing something so people do not see it. That is completely weird and doesn't make any sense."

"Everything we do is weird. Look at you and Rhonda. I find it weird that you wear makeup, while Rhonda has an obsession over fashion. But if you both want do it, I'm not going to lose any sleep over it." he said.

"Jennifer, I'm asking you cease spreading these false rumours of Helga. They are not true. Since you so know much about Helga, then I'm sure you know that she will not take this too kindly. She hates it when people start spreading rumours about her, especially false ones. She will no doubt retaliate when she hears that you have been spreading it. As you know, I'm her friend and I almost got beaten up by her when she thought that it was I was spreading those rumours of us dating. What do you think she will do to you?" he continued.

Jennifer merely laughed and said mockingly, "Why Rodrigo. I didn't know you care about me."

"I don't care about you. I care about Helga." he replied back. "So I'm going to ask you again, to stop spreading these rumours."

Unfortunately, Jennifer stood firm and would not relent.

"Oh I don't think so." she said with a taunting tone. "You see, I have an ace card. I know Helga almost got expelled because of her fight with you last year and that this is her last chance. So if Helga decides to pick a fight with me, I will 'sing like a canary' to the principal and get her expelled if she so much lays a finger on her." she said with a serious warning tone. She smiled completely disappeared.

She then turned to Rhonda, smiled at her and said to her, "Rhonda my dear, I'm disappointed that you decided to break our verbal agreement on not ratting anyone out. But I shouldn't be surprised. I know now that you are definitely afraid of that ugly unibrow girl. To think that Rhonda Wellington-Lloyd, afraid of a complete loser like Helga. It is very pathetic that you are at the mercy of someone who is unloving and uncaring as her. "

Rodrigo by this time was seriously losing his patience with Jennifer. However, just then, he saw Helga from behind Jennifer, walking towards them, looking completely furious. Rodrigo knew then that she heard the rumours and she was out for blood!

Before Helga could get close to Jennifer, Rodrigo immediately stepped in between Helga and Jennifer and said to Helga cheerfully, "Hey Helga! What's up?" with a smile.

"Move aside, Rodrigo. This b**** is mine!" she snarled at him. She then looked at Jennifer and said to her, "I know about the rumours that you have been spreading!"

Not waiting for Rodrigo to move, Helga attempted to grab Jennifer but Rodrigo immediately restrained her, prevent from grabbing.

"Helog, stop! You can't. This is your last chance remember! That's why I approached Jennifer, to get her stop spreading these rumours about you! I told her that it's not true!" he explained, but Helga was not listening and continued to get around him. Rodrigo was having a hard time restraining her, but luckily Rhonda and Gabriela also stepped in and prevented Helga from getting to Jennifer.

Jennifer meanwhile, looked on with sadistic amusement. Feeling untouchable, she began to taunt Helga.

"Helga, I know you want to punch me. I have been spreading those rumours because they are true. Come on, I dare you to punch me in the face so you can get expelled and never show your ugly face here again."

Helga, despite seriously wanting to strangle her, was unable to get to her due to her friends and finally listening to Rodrigo's warning, relented. While still snarling at Jennifer, she nevertheless took a few steps back, while crossing her arms.

"Helga, I'm sorry..."Rodrigo began to say, but was then cut off by Jennifer.

"Ya he's sorry for having to dealing with someone as loathsome as you. I mean come on, you almost beating him up because of a dumb dating rumour? You chose to listen to strangers instead of your 'friend'? That's low unibrow, even for you."

"Do not call me that!" Helga angrily screamed at Jennifer.

"Oh please, unibrow. You are such a loser. I mean look at the poor guy, he had to restrain _you _so you don't get expelled. You have no control over yourself. Shame really."

"I swear Jennifer when school ends this year, the things I'm gonna do to you..."Helga snarled at her.

"You'll do what?" Jennifer sarcastically asked her. "You know you can't do anything without jeopardizing you getting expelled. But then again, it's not like anyone here will miss you. No friends, I mean no real friends and no boyfriend."

That last word got both Rodrigo and Helga's attention.

"If you had a boyfriend, I'm sure he would do himself a favour and leave you." Jennifer continued with her taunting and evil grin.

While Jennifer continued with her taunting, Rodrigo saw just how angry and hurtful Helga was getting. Despite wanting to do something, Helga felt completely helpless and said nothing back to her. She only gave her a serious scowling face with a deadly knife piercing look, but other than that, just took it. Rodrigo meanwhile, was trying desperately not to lose his patience, but he was struggling, knowing Jennifer's insults were hurting Helga. He could see it in her blue eyes; a sense of pure rage and anger, but also hurt and sadness. All he wanted to do was just hug her and tell that everything was alright. He just wanted her to stop feeling anymore pain. The more hurt she became, the more angry he got. And when Jennifer started taunting Helga about her boyfriend leaving her, he finally snapped.

Rodrigo made a snarling face and then immediately turned around, grabbed Jennifer by her sweater and threw her to the wall, much to his female friends' shock.

"Listen here you pathetic low-life piece of scum! Don't you ever say anything demeaning to Helga again, you hear me?!" he screamed at her, while he continued holding her against the wall. "You are going to apologize to her right now for everything that you said and did to her or God help me, I will beat you within an inch of your life!"

Jennifer was completely stunned by Rodrigo's actions. She had never anticipated that he would put his hands on her. It took a while, but she soon regained her composure.

"You can't do that! I'm a girl!" she yelled at him while trying to break free. Rodrigo however, was firmly holding on to her sweater, while still pressing her against the wall.

"You should have thought of that before taunting my friend in front of me! You don't get to hide behind your sex and gender and expect to get away with it like a coward that you are!" he continued to scream at her.

"Geez! What does this skank mean to you?!" she asked him.

"Everything! She's the smartest, kindest and most strongest person that I've ever met; better than you will ever be in two lifetimes!" he yelled as her. However, he soon realized his poor choice of words.

Rhonda, Gabriela and Helga just looked at Rodrigo with stunned faces at his little slip of the tongue.

_Umm, he is still talking about Helga, right?_ Rhonda thought to herself.

"I-I mean, she means a lot of me!" he attempted to correct himself. Then he added, "Now apologize!"

Jennifer, despite having an initial fear and shock on her face, soon gave way to an evil grin. She figured it out.

"Oh, I see what this is." She said to him. "You like her."

Rodrigo was now in utter shock at how he inadvertently spilled out what Helga meant to him and for a moment stood frozen, not knowing what to do other than continue to give Jennifer a deadly scowling face. He dare not even look Rhonda, Helga or Gabriela for fear of what they might say to him.

Helga for her part was now even more shocked at what Jennifer had just figured out. Apart from the fact that she succeeded where she could not, she said it in front of Gabriela and Rhonda, much to her dismay. Helga than looked at Rodrigo see what his reactions was, but he made no attempt to look back and continued to scowl at Jennifer.

Rhonda was also shocked at the revelation, but she was not completely surprised. Always having a keen eye for the latest gossip, she had been watching the two teens for some time and it was clear to her that something was going on between them. At any other time, she would have gladly have approached them and pondered about it. But because this was a very serious sensitive issue for Helga, and out of respect for the blonde girl, Arnold and Rodrigo, she opted to let them figure things out for themselves. Well that, and she didn't want to end up in the hospital, courtesy of Helga's volatile temper.

"Admit it; you wouldn't be reacting this way if you didn't have feelings for her hahaha. Oh this is just gold! The thought of someone actually liking Helga…!" Jennifer said to him while laughing.

Rodrigo was having none of this and was now thinking of just strangling her. But instead he opted to just slam her against the wall again. That at least got her to stop laughing.

"You can think whatever you like." He said to her with a calm but deadly warning in his voice. "That will not save you from what I'm about to do to you unless you apologize to her and to Rhonda!"

"Go to hell!" Jennifer yelled back at him.

Gabriela than stepped in, got close to Jennifer, and said to her with a threatening tone, "apologize right now or you will need plastic surgery for the morgue to identify your body."

Jennifer finally saw the precarious situation that she was in and with none of her friends seemingly willing to help her, she started feeling afraid. Finally, she relented.

"I'm sorry, ok?! I'm sorry for saying those things, Helga. Rhonda, you too! Now let me go!"

"We're not done here! You are going to go around and start telling everyone that those rumours are false, that there is no 'pink bow' or whatever the hell you saw, got it?!" he yelled at her.

"Ok, I will!" she desperately agreed.

Rodrigo then released her by pushing her away from him. "Get lost!" he barked at her.

Once released, Jennifer then ran back to her group.

All three girls stood there in both complete awe and horror. None knew what came over Rodrigo. Meanwhile, Rodrigo just stood there, saying and doing nothing, other than staring at the wall, feeling completely shocked at what he just did.

Gabriela then stepped in, touched him by the shoulder and gently said, "Rodrigo, come on, let's go. It's over."

That made Rodrigo come out in whatever trance he was. He started walking and then asked Helga, "are you ok?"

Helga, still stunned at what he did, only said "yeah...".

**While on the bus...**

Pretty soon, the whole school heard about what happened, their friends including. While on the bus, Rhonda and Helga explained to everyone what happened, which came at such a shock to the whole gang.

"Rodrigo, have you lost your marbles?! Why would you put your hands on a girl like that? I'm sure you know better." exclaimed Gerald with a shocking look.

"I know I said that you are a bold kid, but this is taking it to the extreme!" he continued.

"Ya Rodrigo. I know you wanted to help Helga out and while we commend that, you shouldn't have put your hands on a girl like that, much less threaten her." commented Eugene.

"I'm sorry Rodrigo, but that's low." said Nadine while giving him a disapproving face.

"Were you actually going to hit her if she didn't apologize to Helga?" asked Sheena.

Rodrigo for his part, made no attempt to defend himself and stayed quiet with his arms crossed, pouting.

After some more questioning by his peers and with more disapproving faces, Rodrigo got annoyed and simply got up and went to sit further back on the bus, alone. Seeing as how their interrogation was upsetting him and realizing that he was not proud with what he did, everyone finally ceased their questioning and disapproving look.

Helga remained with their friends for some time. Although she wanted to go over there and comfort him, she didn't know what to say to him. She herself was still reeling from it. Finally, feeling that she needed to do something, she got up and sat beside him.

"What?" he coldly asked while looking out the window.

"Why did you do that?" she bluntly asked him.

"She had it coming." he replied back.

"Were you actually going to hit her if she refused to apologize?" she asked him.

Rodrigo simply looked at her for a short while, and then looked away and said nothing.

Although Helga appreciated what Rodrigo did for her, this was way out of the social norms, even for her, to accept without issue. Even her own father, despite his negligence and short temper, had never raised a hand either against her or her sister, nor even threatened to. Despite his help, Helga couldn't help but feel somewhat disgusted with him.

After some silence and with nothing more to say, Helga was about to get up and rejoin their friends when Rodrigo suddenly said to her, "you didn't deserve to be talked to like that. It was uncalled for and she had no right! You did nothing wrong. You are a good person and you deserved to be treated with respect."

Rodrigo was completely disgusted with himself with the way he acted. He had never, EVER threatened a girl before, much less put his hands on a one like that. He wanted to explain to people why he felt 'compelled' to act this way but he couldn't. He really had no good justification for it, save for one reason, which he couldn't divulge. He knew that it was because he liked Helga, and he couldn't stand someone mocking and insulting her while he did nothing. It frustrated him that he was unable to tell her. No worse, he had to hide it. He knew she had a boyfriend and he was still not going to stand in between their relationship. Yet even if he could, he knew that that still didn't justify what he did.

"You need to be careful with that rotten temper of yours." she remarked.

Rodrigo looked at her with a look of disbelief and annoyance. He didn't know if Helga was either joking or being serious, but either way, he did not take too kindly of her comment. He was in no mood of being lectured by someone who had a history of anger issues.

"Look who's talking." Rodrigo retorted back and then looked away towards the window.

Helga was surprised by his sudden remark and got irritated. Yet, she didn't say anything back. She knew that he was just upset.

She had wanted to also ask him what he meant by "everything." However, she didn't. Apart from the fact that he wasn't in a talking mood, he would only explain that it was a slip of the tongue and deny anything that would indicate that he had feelings for her. She then decided to ask Gabriela about it.

**The next morning...**

When Helga entered her literature class, she saw Gabriela already in her own seat. She immediately walked toward her seat and sat down.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?" Helga asked her.

"Sure" she responded back.

"Has Rodrigo ever acted like how he acted yesterday?" she asked.

"Yes, but never with a girl. He is very protective of his friends, but I have never seen him lose his patience so quickly. He has his limits of course, but he is usually calm and he would only get this aggressive if it was serious, if someone was already acting violently. What happened yesterday, it was very uncalled for, but in my opinion, did not warrant Rodrigo to act that way. I was just as shocked as you were. Something must have prompted him to quickly get angry like that."

"What do you suppose that something is?" Helga asked her.

Gabriela gave Helga a smile and jokingly said, "I think he likes you. That, or he just got fed up with that dumb blonde. To his defence, he did try to reason with her before you came, but she was too stupid and stubborn to listen."

"Would he have actually hit her if she still refused to apologize?" Helga asked her.

Gabriela took a moment before she answered. "Rodrigo doesn't threaten people unless he is willing to go through with his threat." Gabriela responded. "That's why I intervened and threatened her to beat her up myself if she didn't apologize."

"Thanks" Helga said.

"No worries." Gabriela replied back

"No, I mean thanks for intervening for Rodrigo's sake. He would have gotten into serious trouble if he went through with his threat." said Helga.

Gabriela merely looked at Helga and nodded in acknowledgement. "If you are concerned that Rodrigo has anger issues, don't fret about it. He doesn't." she added.

Helga didn't say anything and for the rest of the class, even as the teacher talked, she merely thought about what happened yesterday.

Whilst deep in thought, Helga thought about Rodrigo's outburst and was concerned, but not because she thought he had anger issues like her. No, she felt that the way he acted may have been because he may in fact have feelings for her. Why else would he have acted the way he did?

Helga than thought about Arnold. Football head was always so calm and although she didn't doubt that he loved her, Arnold had never showed any aggression towards anyone who had insulted or attempted to humiliated her in school, and there were various occasions. He would always reason with the person or with Helga to avoid any confrontation. A few times he got irritated by the person, and sometimes warned them to stop their taunting, but never physically lashed out at them.

With Rodrigo, this was the first time that someone stood up for her like that. Despite how worrisome it was, she began to smile at how Rodrigo showed just how much he cared about her and how far he was willing to go to ensure no one would ever hurt her. She couldn't help but feel that she felt...safe around him.

**Lunchtime...**

As Helga came into the lunchroom, she saw everyone chatting, except Rodrigo, who was nowhere to be seen. Clearly yesterday's event was still bothering him and he didn't wish to be interrogated further by their friends.

As Helga approached their table, she heard that yesterday's event was still on everyone's mind. She also realized their worried look on their faces. As she crept closer, she heard their conversation and it was not praising Rodrigo.

"I still can't believe he would actually put his hands on a lady like that. I mean, that's very low." exclaimed Gerald with a disappointed look on his face.

"I agree, Gerald. I would have expected better from Rodrigo." said Sid.

"I wonder what ever came over him? It's not like of him to ever get angry like that." asked Lila.

"I find it highly disrespectful for a man to put this hands on a lady, even if she was saying extremely hurtful things." Stinky admitted.

Helga came and quietly sat down, while still listening to their conversation. She saw that Rhonda was also being unusually quiet and was just eating her lunch. If anything, she seemed bothered, but didn't inquire on it. As their criticisms continued, Helga continued to stay quiet as she was still conflicted by his actions yesterday. However, as the criticisms continued, Helga started becoming more and more bothered by it. They were no longer just criticizing Rodrigo's behaviour from yesterday's event, but his entire persona.

"Maybe Rodrigo is not the kind and moral person that we thought we were. I mean, he himself stated that he and Arnold are two different people. Perhaps they are and Rodrigo is more of the moral opposite from Arnold." Sheena added.

"You got a point there Sheena. The kid does have some controversial thoughts." said Gerald. "Remember the debate he and I had about violence. I know he wanted to continue with it, but he was probably afraid we would judge him if he revealed too much. Perhaps we should have continued with that debate and see what kind of person he really is."

"It would appear that Rodrigo, like everyone else, does have his secrets and considering how intelligent he is, I have little doubt that he would attempt to justify violence to achieve certain ends. I do not believe that the way he acted yesterday was spontaneous. There was a reason for it, but I believe that the greater danger lies in him being completely unremorseful." explained Phoebe.

"Gosh, do you think we should then cut all ties with Rodrigo? He appears to be more and more the kind of person that we perhaps should not associate with." Stinky commented.

"Ya, I think that would be best. I'm starting to regret introducing him to this group." admitted Sid with a tone of regret in his voice.

Gerald said nothing, but was considering at the thought.

By this time, both Rhonda and Helga had stopped eating and were keenly listening to their friends' conversation.

"Well, that sounds extreme, but I sure do not like to associate with anyone who encourages violence, even if they have their reasons." said Sheena.

Finally, Helga couldn't stand it any longer. She hit the table hard with both hands, startling everyone. She then got up and exclaimed, "That's enough!"

Everyone quickly fell silent and looked at her, even some people who were at the other table.

"We're not going to kick out someone just because we don't agree with some of the things that they have done in their lives! Did it ever occur to you losers how Rodrigo must be feeling about his actions yesterday?!" she continued to exclaim while giving everyone a serious frowning face.

"Of course we don't, Helga. You were there when we tried to ask him but he refused to say anything." said Gerald.

"You weren't asking him anything, Gerald. You were judging him! In his mind, you were already looking at him like some disgusting pariah, so why would he attempt to explain anything when you already made up your minds about him?!" replied back.

Helga took a minute to calm down a bit before she continued. She wanted to get her point across but she didn't want to do it while yelling at them.

"Look, I'm not entirely in agreement with what Rodrigo did yesterday. Quite in fact I was horrified. But I am just as mortified at your reactions. Rodrigo is our friend and instead of at least trying to help him, you are already thinking about kicking him out of the group. Why? Because he thinks differently than all of you do? How often has he ever said anything critical about your lifestyle or about your beliefs?"

Everyone looked at each other and then acknowledged that Rodrigo has never been critical of them and the times when he was, he would always allow them to give their point of view.

"As for what happened yesterday, to Rodrigo's defence, he did try to reason with Jennifer, but the dumb b***** was too much into her own little world to listen to him. Quite in fact, she started taunting and mocking me right in front of him, thinking that she had it all under control. Clearly you guys forgot about that part while you were judging him." she continued.

"Rodrigo is right about Jennifer; she is a coward. She used her sex for an immoral purpose; just to spite me. Little miss dumb blonde thought that because she is a girl, she could get away with anything without any repercussions, lest people would condemn it as violence against women, which is what you guys have been doing. While you guys have been busy criticizing Rodrigo, all of you seemed to have forgotten what Jennifer did; she used one of society's most serious taboos for her own benefit! Not only is that deeply troubling, it is not downright discriminatory!"

Helga waited for a bit for that to sink in and to catch her breath. Then, she looked at Gerald.

"Let me ask you this, tall-hair boy. On that day, when you were inquiring about my home life and I put my hands on you and almost pummeled you, did you ever consider in throwing me out of the group? Answer honestly." she asked him.

Gerald thought about it for a moment until he finally said, "no, I didn't."

"What about after Arnold left?" she asked him.

Again, Gerald took this time to think before answering. "No. I only just wanted to stay away from you after that."

Helga then looked at everyone.

"Was there any discussion at anytime about throwing me out of the group, even after Arnold left?" she asked.

Everyone looked at each other for a moment until Sid said, "Well, no we never talked about it."

"Why?" she asked them.

Gerald got her point and openly admitted. *sigh* "Because you are a girl."

"But Helga," Nadine began to counter, "it's not the same. Rodrigo is a guy and from this specific perspective, he had an unfair advantage over Jennifer that he used to his own advantage."

"Yes, you're right Nadine and I don't condone that." Helga replied back. "But how is it different than when I put my hands on Gerald? If anything, Gerald had it worse because unlike Jennifer, tall-hair boy here only wanted to help. He wasn't trying to make fun of my situation at home or mock it. But I almost beat him for it and despite that, I still wasn't kicked out from this group. Rodrigo on the other hand, put his hands on Jennifer in order to get her to stop with the cussings. Reasoning with her didn't work; verbal threats didn't work, so what else was left for him to do? Just take it? But instead of giving him the benefit of the doubt, like you did with me, you are all now discussing in possibly kicking him out of the group. Please tell me how that is fair?"

When none spoke out, Helga continued.

"You guys should be lucky to have a friend like Rodrigo. Instead of being afraid of him, all of you should be glad because he showed just how far he was willing to go for his friends, even at the risk of his safety or reputation." she concluded.

Again, none spoke out. All remained silent and thought about what Helga just said. Then, guilt was starting to appear in their faces as they realized how biased they were in their critique of Rodrigo.

Suddenly, Rhonda got up and started to speak out.

"I agree with Helga. We completely let this become a one-sided show without at least allowing Rodrigo to explain himself. I personally don't agree with what Rodrigo did, but I also cannot blame him for doing it. You guys were not there; what Jennifer did was not just childish, but infuriating. She kept calling Helga pathetic and weak and me a coward, all awhile thinking she is untouchable. Seems to me that the only person that was pathetic and a coward was her and I for one do not feel any sympathy for her. The b**** had it coming."

After another moment of silence, Gerald finally spoke.

"You guys are right. We shouldn't have judged Rodrigo so harshly, much less speak about kicking him out of the group. Heck, we didn't do it with you, Helga, so why should we do it with him?" he said with a jokingly smile on his face.

"Yeah, we're sorry Helga." said Sid.

"Me too." said Stinky.

"It's not me you should be apologizing to. It's Rodrigo." she said with her arms crossed.

"Where is he anyways?" Rhonda asked.

"I'm not sure." replied Helga.

"Let's try to see if he is at his locker." commented Sheena.

The group then packed up and made their way towards Rodrigo's locker, hoping that he might be there. After some minutes of walking, to their luck, he was there, sitting on the floor and completely immersed with his music, listening to the band, Disturbed's song, _The Animal_.

_I can feel the animal inside_

_My resolve is weakening_

_Pounding on the doors of my mind_

_It's nearly overpowering_

_I cannot begin to describe_

_The hunger that I feel again_

_Run if you intend to survive_

_For the beast is coming to life_

_Taking more than a glimmer of this tainted moonlight_

_Death approaches on this night_

_For the animal's soul is mine_

_We will be completed right before your eyes_

_I have no control this time_

_And now we both shall dine in Hell tonight..._

As he continued to listen and sing along, he had his eyes closed, and so didn't see his friends approaching him. Helga then gently tabbed her foot on his thigh, prompting him to look up. Surprised to see everyone, he took out his headphones and got up.

_Alright, I guess it's Judgement Day._ He thought.

"Look, if you guys came here to interrogate me or to force an apology from me, prepared to be disappointed. I have no intention of ever apologizing for..."

"Whoa, whoa, Rodrigo. Calm down, man." said Gerald as he cut him off. "We're not here to interrogate you. No, we're here to apologize to you."

"Eh?" Rodrigo said with a confusing look.

"For criticizing you before letting you explain yourself. Helga stood up for you and knocked some sense into us. I can't say we are in agreement with what you did, but we were wrong for being so biased towards you." Gerald continued.

"Yeah, we're sorry Rod for being so harsh on you, when we should have also have been critical of Jennifer." Stinky confessed.

"Me too Rodrigo." said Sid.

Everyone else also pitched in and gave their apology.

Rodrigo then looked at Helga and asked her, "you defended me?"

Helga simply nodded.

"What did you say to them?" he asked her.

"The truth." she replied back casually.

Rodrigo for a short while said nothing, as he was a bit surprised that Helga defended him. Based on how she was looking at him yesterday, he thought she sided with their friends' disapproval.

"So what do you say? You accept our apology?" Gerald asked as he extended his hand.

Rodrigo shook his hand and said, "Yeah, I accept your apology."

"Pataki here told us that you would have done the same for any of us. Is that true?" Gerald asked him.

"Yeah. I would have done the same for any of you guys."

"Even if we wouldn't do something as controversial as what you did?" Gerald asked.

"I don't expect for you guys to do the same for me, especially as something as controversial as this. I do things for people and I help them because it's the right thing to do. I don't do it so I can get something out of it. You know what that's called?" he asked Gerald.

"What?" he asked.

"Virtue ethics." He replied back. "I know that what I did was extremely out of the norms, to say the least. Honestly, I'm not proud of it. In fact, I kind of scared myself. I didn't know I had that in me. But that woman got what she deserved. I was not going to stand by watch her mock my friends for no reason other than for her own sadistic pleasure. It's not something chivalrous, but it had to be done and when it comes to protecting my friends, I am unapologetic. But if it makes you feel any better, it not something that I'm ever going to do again. Actually, I don't ever want this to happen again." he continued.

"Well, alright. Good enough answer for me." Gerald said with a smile. Everyone else also agreed.

**While on the bus...**

While everyone was on the bus and conversing with each other, putting behind yesterday's event with Jennifer, Rodrigo and Helga were sitting next to each other.

"Thanks Helga for backing me up. It meant a lot." Rodrigo said to her softly.

"Eh, don't sweat it Latino boy." she said while sliding down her seat, relaxing and giving him a nudge on his shoulder.

"If anyone is going to have anger issues in this group, it's going to be me, got it bucko?" she added.

Rodrigo simply smiled.

"Sure Helga." he replied back.

"So what did you mean by 'everything'?" she asked him casually.

"What?"

"Yesterday, when you lost your cool and Jennifer asked you what I mean to you, you instantly said, 'everything'. What did you mean by that?" she clarified her question.

"Oh um, th-th-that was just a slip of the tongue." he said nervously.

"Sure, whatever floats your boat, Rodrigo." she said back while smiling back at him.

* * *

**Oh the things we do for love. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Was Rodrigo right in doing what he did to Jennifer?**

**I do want to point out the paradoxical expectation that we have between men and women. With Helga for example, we all love her because she is a badass, she doesn't take crap from anyone and she is a highly independent person. But she will also not hesitate to threaten or even get into fights with other people, whether on the TV series or in other stories (Good), but if a guy did this, especially against women, then he is seen as evil, a monster, a violent abuser (Bad). If a guy sleeps around he is generally praised for it (Good), but if a woman does it, then she is seen as untrustworthy, or a slut (Bad).**

**Let me know what you guys think in the review comments.**

**Just some responses to some reviews:**

**Call Me Nettie: Thank you! I wanted to give a cute ending to chapter 24.**

**Ezza: Thank you!**


	26. Chapter 26 - Resistance

**Hi everyone! This is NOT the last chapter, but this is the last prequel chapter. All chapters after this one will be taking place after the events of my first story, 'Helga's Confession'. Helga and Rodrigo continue with their dancing lessons, until they are 'discovered'...**

* * *

It was a Tuesday afternoon, school had already ended and most students braved the cold weather that was still looming in Hillwood. The weather forecast had predicted a strong snowfall and a serious breeze coming in the early evening and most people attempted to hurry back to their homes before the first snowfall. Only two teens bravely remained at school. Rodrigo and Helga continued with their dancing practice.

Today was rather different. Helga was being aggressive with her dancing and with Rodrigo, often taking the lead, was forcing Rodrigo to follow suit. This wasn't on the agenda today and Rodrigo was not sure why she was being like this.

_Did something happen to her?_ He thought.

"Helga, why are you being so aggressive today?" he asked while trying desperately to follow her steps.

"No reason. Just wanted to spice things up a bit. I have been following your lead since we started this last year and I just wanted a change." she replied back with an almost evil grin to her face. "Do I make you nervous?" she asked.

"Not really." he said.

"Well, how about this?!" she exclaimed as she grabbed him and swung him around quickly. She continued to swung him around until she knew he was getting dizzy, then suddenly stopped.

After Rodrigo regained his balance, he then said to her, "Alright, you want to dance? Then let's dance!" as he grabbed Helga and attempted to regain control.

For almost fifteen minutes, both teens attempted to best each other out. The music they were dancing to was a typical salsa music, but the way they were dancing to it was one of style and passion, if not outright aggression. Both teens pulled to each other's side to the rhythm of the music and when appropriate, danced.

During this time, Mrs. Peterson was walking by the hallway when she heard music coming from the theatre. Curious to know who was still in this building when there was a big snowstorm coming, she made her way into the theatre and saw both Rodrigo and Helga dancing, much to her surprise.

She was initially going to call them, but then stopped once she saw the way they were dancing. It was different. It was rather chaotic, yet it maintained its rhythm, never losing its focus to the music. Curious to see further, she sat down on one of the stools and waited for the music to end. She didn't have to wait long.

When was music was just about to end, Rodrigo then launched himself towards Helga, grabbed her waist, then twisted her downwards to the finishing move.

"Gotcha ya." he said while smiling and breathing heavily.

"I only...*panting*...let you." she said.

Just then, they both heard a clap.

*clap clap clap clap*

"That was wonderful you two!" Mrs Peterson exclaimed.

The clapping startled Rodrigo so much that he accidently let Helga go and dropped her to the floor, almost hitting her head.

"Opfh! Rodrigo! What the hell?!" Helga angrily yelled at him.

Realized what just happened, he quickly attempted to apologize to her and help her up.

"Oh damn, I'm sorry Helga. Here let me help you." He grabbed her arm and pulled her up.

As Rodrigo was helping Helga, Mrs. Peterson made her way toward the stage.

"Um, Mrs. Peterson, we can, or I can explain..." Rodrigo attempted to say, but Mrs. Peterson caught him off.

"How long have you guys been doing this?" she asked.

"Um, quite a while actually, it was umm, around last year..umm.." Rodrigo was stumbling his words, trying to rationalize their presence after school without permission.

"Since last year, around early November." Helga interjected. "I came here to practice, Rodrigo one day saw me and he wanted to help me with my dancing. So we have been coming here a few times a week."

"Ya, that." said Rodrigo, still dazed at being caught.

"Well, what I saw was incredible. You guys must have been practicing a lot in order for you two to be pulling those types of moves that I just saw."

"You're not mad?" Rodrigo asked her.

"Well no I didn't say that. I was just impressed with your dancing, even if you were practicing here unauthorized." she said while she had her arms crossed to her chest. "But we can discuss that later. I was actually going to ask you two if you would be interested in signing up for our annual dancing performance?"

"Dancing performance?" Rodrigo asked.

"Yes. Every year we have an annual dancing performance that our students participate in with other schools. This year our school will be hosting it and based on what I saw, I'm sure you two could make a swell performance." she explained.

"Well congratulations, Rodrigo. You've been 'discovered'." Helga said as she gave him a friendly punch to his shoulder. "How long do we have left to practice?" she asked Mrs. Peterson.

"The dancing performance will be held in a few weeks, after March break. Now, there is a chance that it might be postponed for a later date, but even if it doesn't, you guys have some time to practice." she explained.

"Well, how about it, Latino boy? Interested in finally showing off?" Helga asked him.

Rodrigo was surprised that Helga seemed eager to participate in this annual dancing performance. Months before, she hated being the centre of attention and did everything she could to avoid it. Now she seemed willing to seek it. Encouraged by that, Rodrigo agreed.

"Ya, sure. I'm down." he said.

"Perfect! I actually have the list here. You can both print your name and sign off." Mrs. Peterson cheerfully said as she handed them the list.

Rodrigo and Helga both printed their names and sign it. They were now in.

"Great! Well since we took care of that part, there is now the matter of you two using the theatre. Unfortunately there are strict rules when using the stage and unless a whole group of people are going to use it, I'm afraid it is off limits for you two." she said.

"Well, where can we practice then?" Rodrigo asked her.

"Well, there is the small gym on the second floor. It is being used by one of the last classes, but I'm sure if you speak with the teacher of that class you can perhaps get authorization to use it for your practice. No one else uses it so you two will not be bothered once school ends.

"Sure, we'll talk to the teach. Thanks Mrs. P." said Helga while smiling.

"Not a problem. Now you guys are going to have to leave school right away. From the fact that you shouldn't be here, there is a snowstorm coming soon so you'd better be on your way." said Mrs. Peterson.

Once Helga and Rodrigo quickly cleaned up the stage, they grabbed their coats and quickly left the building. As they made it outside, Helga was in a rarely good mood, so much so that she was joking around with Rodrigo about one day making it to the 'top'.

"See? What did I tell ya? I knew our dancing would get us somewhere." she said as she gave him another friendly punch to his shoulder.

She then wrapped her arms around him and continued to talk. "Just think of it. We'd surprise them with a bit of shock and awe and our names would be all over the net. People would go on YouTube to watch our performance. Heck, we could even be discovered like that annoying Canadian pop singer, what's his name er...Justin Beiber."

As Helga continued to talk, Rodrigo couldn't help but examine Helga. He was really taken aback by her good mood. It was actually kind of...scary, but in a good way. He had never seen her before in this light. She was not only smiling, but joking around with him. She didn't just seem happy because she gets to dance on stage. It was more than that. He realized that for the first time such a long while, someone had finally recognized in Helga something positive and worthwhile for her to share with everyone.

"Well if we'd want to be at the top, then we'd need to a pick a song that really says 'speaks' to us so we can translate that to our dancing. I'm not sure what though." he said.

"Let me worry about that. Once I pick a few songs, you can choose which one works best. We will also need a theme for our dance, but that will come later." she explained.

"Works for me." he said. "Glad that you are in a good mood. It's nice to see you be...happy." he confidently continued.

Helga stopped walking for a moment to ponder what Rodrigo had just said.

"Ya, I do feel happy about this. I guess it's maybe because I now have a chance to teach these troglodytes a thing or two about dancing." she said with a confident smile. "I can actually show something for people to praise at, instead of being mocked or ridiculed." she continued.

"Hey, there was never anything in you that was to mock or ridicule, Helga" he said firmly to her. "And if anyone did see that, then you're right about them; they are troglodytes. AKA morons." he continued.

Helga just took a deep breath, turned to face him and said, "Listen Rodrigo, I just wanted to say thank you. Had it not been for you offering to help me practice, I don't think Mrs. Peterson would have been impressed and offered us, or me to be in the annual dancing performance. You've been... a great friend and I just wanted to say...that it means a lot to me."

She, much to Rodrigo's surprise, then gave Rodrigo a gentle but warm hug. Again, Rodrigo started getting nervous again, as he felt his heart race and his knees weaken. But he ignored these sensations and simply hugged her back.

"It was my pleasure Helga." he said.

"Alright, alright." she remarked. "We got the mushy stuff out of the way, so let's just head home before the snowstorm arrives."

As the two teens quickly hopped on the bus and sat down, Rodrigo could not have asked for a more good day than today. Helga had come a long way since when he first met her and she has been making serious improvement with her behaviour. She was now less angry and hostile, had become more patient, with certain people at least. Everything seems to be going well for them, except for one small thing.

_She has been really touchy lately_. He thought.

**The next day...**

During school, while Helga was busy trying to find a song for their performance, Rodrigo was in deep thought about Helga's behaviour. He was not entirely sure when it began, but it must have been more than a month or two ago. Although he was not particularly concerned about it, it had recently increased in intensity and he was not sure if Helga was even conscious of it. The touching was nothing romantic or sexual in nature thus far. She would often give him a gentle punch to his shoulder, or a tap on his chest or on his back or even sometimes gently pull his ear. It was initially at random moments, but at some point in time, it began to increase in frequency, so much so that she started doing it in front of their friends. For his part, this was nothing strange to Rodrigo, as he had other female friends back home or even in Hillwood who would sometimes do this. Even Carmen and Gabriela would sometimes touch him in the same way as Helga did. His only concern is that while Carman and Gabriela would do it infrequently, Helga was now doing it on almost a daily basis and there was no sign of it stopping. Worse still, Helga only seemed to be doing this to him and not to their other male friends. Rodrigo's other female friends would not hesitate to playfully touch other male friends of theirs. This was concerning Rodrigo, as he as getting the hint that there may be something going on beyond mere friendship. Why else would you make excuses to touch someone?

Helga, for her part, did not realize she started being touchy with Rodrigo and when she did notice, she believed she was just regaining some part of her former self and didn't think much of it. After she and Arnold got together, one of the ways Helga started being more friendly with her friends was through such gestures, whether it was a small punch to their shoulders or a slap on their backs to congratulate them for an achievement. She even gave Gerald a few such friendly punches to his shoulders on a few occasions. The problem laid that Helga did not realize she was being touchy with Rodrigo only.

As Rodrigo went to his morning classes, he thought that perhaps he was over thinking it and getting worried over nothing.

_She has been touchy lately, but it hasn't been anything unusual or sexual. So far, it has only been friendly touches. I'm really over thinking this, like I usually do. It's probably nothing. If anything, this is good; she is opening up and wanting to get physically close. I shouldn't discourage her._ He thought.

Rodrigo decided to push these thoughts away from his mind and just forget about it. Some people like to be touchy, while other do not. He initially thought Helga was the latter, which is perhaps why it surprised him to see how she was slowly becoming the former. That was probably it. Needless to say, so long as no boundaries are crossed, Rodrigo had nothing to worry about.

**During lunchtime...**

During lunch time, Rodrigo approached their usual table and saw everyone already there. He saw Helga already sitting down with Phoebe and as he approached them, Helga saw him and smiled at him, feeling happy that he was here. Unlike other times, this smile was...different. It looked not only genuine, but also warm and loving, as if she was really happy to see him. Feeling reciprocal, he smiled back. Seeing as how there was a space beside her, he went in, greeted her, and sat down beside her. But Helga was busy talking to Phoebe, and so Rodrigo started conversing with Sid and Harold. Rodrigo had his left hand on the table while Helga had her right hand. Barely a few minutes passed when suddenly out of nowhere, Helga started fiddling and caressing Rodrigo's right hand.

Rodrigo, while feeling her caressing, did not register in his mind its full significance. Quite the contrary, his brain perceived it as a normally affectionate, and loving touching, as if she was suppose to be doing that. Purely unconsciously, Rodrigo's body was then starting to positively react to her touching by gentle turning his right hand and holding her hand, to which Helga only continued caressing his hand. Just then, an electrical current shot down his entire body, prompting him to tense up, as he now fully comprehended into consciousness what was happening. Rodrigo immediately starting getting really uncomfortable and wanted to move or say something to her, but he was afraid of causing a scene, either with Helga or with their friends.

_What the hell is she doing? Is she doing this on purpose?_ _In front of everyone?!_ He thought. _What the hell was I doing?! I can't believe I let this happen!_

What seemed like five minutes, was only barely a minute of this awkward scene. Rodrigo nervously waited for Helga to realize what she was doing and to cease caressing his hand. As he waited, Rodrigo took the time to quickly scan around and noticed that thus far, nobody seemed to notice Helga touching his hand; not even Gerald who was busy talking to Stinky, or so he thought. Unbeknownst to him, Gerald had noticed Helga touching his hand, but decided also not to cause a scene about it, but he clearly was not happy about it.

Finally, seeing as how Helga was not stopping, Rodrigo couldn't stand it any longer. He immediately got up and said to Sid and Harold,

"Sorry guys, but I gotta go to the bathroom. Duties calls." he said while smiling nervously.

Then he quickly walked to the bathroom. Helga and Gerald took a quick glance at him as he walked away, but then Helga went back talking to Phoebe. Only Gerald was left starting at him, almost giving him a glare.

_That was close! I can't believe she did that!_ Rodrigo thought to himself. _What is going on with her? What is she trying to pull?_ He continued to think to himself.

After coming back from the washroom, Rodrigo then sat down next to Sid, away from Helga for the remainder of their lunch time.

Once lunch time ended, everyone then started walking towards their next class.

As Rodrigo walked to his history class, he was seriously contemplating if he should confront Helga about this.

_I don't know what is going on, but she crossed a line today. I need to talk to her about this. She needs to know. Who am I kidding? She will only deny it, not to mention that it will put her in an extremely awkward position, which I know she will then viciously try to get out. I also don't want to discourage her from being physically friendly with me, or anyone else. There is nothing wrong with that, so long as there are limits. Maybe I should let it go for now. It was only a one time slip. Perhaps it won't happen again. Ok, I'll do that; I'll let it go this time, but if it happens again, then I will have to talk to her._ He thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Gerald was also deep in his thoughts about what he saw in the lunch room. It was clearly bothering him as he was walking with a frowned face.

_I don't know what's going on between those two, but it has to stop. I need to talk to Rodrigo about this._ He thought.

**One week later…**

Rodrigo and Helga made it to the small gym on the second floor. They had found out the teacher who had their last class and they arranged with her to use it once her class was over. She agreed that they can use it for as long as they wished, but only on the condition that they clean up after her class, which both teens reluctantly agreed.

After making some space for them to dance, Helga put on the music and both proceeded to start their practice. Helga had yet to pick up a song for their performance, but she confirmed that she managed to narrow it down to ten songs.

"Wow, only ten?" he sarcastically asked.

"Give me time, bucko. Choosing a song is not easy. I don't want to be performing to just any song. It takes time and careful consideration. It's an art really." She replied back.

Despite not yet having a song, they both agreed to continue practicing their usual dancing routine. Once they had a song, they can then start practicing for the annual dancing performance.

When they started their dancing lessons, it soon became clear to Helga that something was wrong with Rodrigo. From the very beginning, he seemed very distant and would stumble at any attempt in her getting physically close to him during their practice. Initially Helga said nothing, but when it became clear that Rodrigo was really not concentrating on their dancing, even falling down at one point, Helga started getting annoyed.

"Hey, what is up with you today? You've been stumbling and been distracted." she asked with an annoying expression on her face.

"Sorry Helga, I'm just not into it today." He replied back.

"Why not? Are you getting cold feet about the performance?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow.

Before Rodrigo could answer, Helga then chucked and said,

"Please don't tell me that the all mighty and confident Rodrigo is nervous about performing in front of an audience. You have no problem displaying your moves in front of everyone and even randomly dancing with your buddies in front of a crowd, but you have a problem dancing on stage?" she asked while continuing to chuckle a bit.

Rodrigo however, was not amused. He was seriously bothered about what has been occurring this last week and he had been seriously contemplating in telling Helga, but he was still resisting in telling her.

"No, it's not that…" he began to say.

"Well what is it?" she asked him, with a clear annoyance in her voice.

While Helga patiently, or rather, impatiently waited for Rodrigo to respond, he was battling with his conscious. He had told himself that he would confront Helga about her touching him if it got out of control. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened. Yet, he still resisted in telling her, afraid she would not only take it the wrong way, but he also had no idea how she was going to react to this. Would she take it well and apologize or would she get angry?

_She would probably get angry._ He thought.

Even worse, by now Rodrigo was getting seriously suspicious about Helga's 'long-term relationship' with Arnold, and if such a thing even existed. He wanted to talk to her about it, but again, he knew she will not say anything to him about it until she was ready to tell him and he knew that she wasn't.

Finally, realizing that unless he spoke to her about it she would continue with her behavior, and not wanting this to jeopardize their dance performance, he relented.

"Helga, I'm going to be very honest with you, but before I say anything, you must promise me that you will not take this personally and not get angry." He began to say.

"Ookkk?"

"Promise me!" he seriously exclaimed.

Helga simply rolled her eyes and said, "fine, I promise. Now what is it?"

"Helga, I've been getting uncomfortable lately. For a while, you have been kind of... touchy lately. Initially it didn't bother me, but this last week you crossed a line."

"What do you mean by touching?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well initially, you have been giving me small punches to my shoulder, a slap on my back or chest and that's ok with me. I never took it as anything bad. If anything, it showed that you were getting more comfortable with me and just being friendly. But as the weeks went by, those gestures started becoming more and more frequent, until it was happening more than once a day, at least whenever I saw you. Again, I wasn't bothered by it, until last week." He explained.

As Rodrigo explained, Helga was starting to get a bit nervous as to where this was going. Although she knew she was giving him physical gestures, she never thought she was doing it as often as he claimed. Nevertheless, she waited for him to continue.

"What happened last week?" she asked.

Rodrigo gave her a confusing look. He was surprised that she was asking him this and didn't know if she was trying to deny it or if she really had no idea what she did.

"Um, last week at lunch, when I sat down beside you, you started touching my hand and caressed it." he said sheepishly.

"What?" she asked him with a surprising look.

"I was shocked when you did it and I waited for you to realize what you were doing and to stop. But when you continued rubbing with me hand, I got uncomfortable and excused myself to go to the washroom." he said.

Helga's face almost went white when Rodrigo revealed this to her. She immediately attempted to remember back to that day and see if she was even aware of this. She remembered sitting down and talking to Phoebe. She even remembered seeing Rodrigo coming to their table and then sitting down beside her, but she was having a hard recollecting her touching his hand. Then after some thought, it came to her mind. To her horror, she remembered!

Rodrigo looked on as her facial expression changed from shock to outright horror. That facial change convinced him that she had no idea that she was doing it, which only complicated things.

"It was nothing; I thought I was touching my hand and didn't realize it was your hand." She attempted to rationalize it.

Rodrigo didn't buy it.

"There were more incidents." he added.

"What? When?" she asked him shockingly.

"That same day, when we went to history class, we were talking about the First World War and I was explaining to you how the whole diplomatic situation of Europe at that time triggered the War and how Austria-Hungary initiated it. In the end, all you said to me was that I was cute that I knew so much time, and then you gently rubbed my right ear, almost caressing it and my face."

"So what? You are cute when you THINK you know so much." she attempted to correct him what she actually said to him in history class.

"More than two week ago, while on the bus, we were talking and then you suddenly rubbed my chin and the way you did it was in a flirtatious way." he continued.

"I uh, ummm…" Helga attempted to explain but found no words to do it.

"Two days after that, you grabbed my hand again and pulled me to the lunchroom to eat. Now normally it not a big deal, but we all know that you have never been a touchy person. You would not have been grabbed my hand unless you were trying to rip it from my body. And to top it all off, while you were holding it, you were gently rubbing it with your thumb and holding it tight, as if you didn't want to let go." he continued.

This time, Helga said nothing and continued to stare at him with a mortified look.

"And finally, this past Friday, while on the bus home, you put your head on my shoulders to rest." He continued.

However, Rodrigo had another thing to say to her.

"And it's now worse than it should be. Gerald caught wind of this last week when you were caressing my hand during lunchtime. I thought no one saw it, but unfortunately he did."

"He what?!" Helga yelled in complete shock.

"The next day he confronted me about it. He said that you and I were getting a bit too close and although he wouldn't really care if we were, because you are still with Arnold, he felt he needed to step in and find out what is going on."

"Why did he approach you and not me?" she asked.

Rodrigo simply stared at Helga.

"Really? I think you know why." he said.

"Ugh, ya ya I know. Well, what did you say to him?" she impatiently asked him.

"I told him that there is nothing going on between us and it was a misunderstanding. He gave me some examples of how there were times when we get a bit to physically close. One of those examples was during the school dance. I told him that despite there was some cases when we got physically close, to me I didn't think any of it and I told him that you never gave me in indication that you were in anyway interested in me. Hence, that is why I felt comfortable enough to get that close to you, but it didn't mean anything to us other than just being friends."

"And…"

"As for the hand grabbing incident, I lied to him and told him that I spoke to you about it after it happened and you apologized for it. I told him that it was just an old habit of yours. I'm sorry Helga, but I really had nothing else to explain to him why you were caressing my hand. Basically, it took some convincing but I think he believed me that there was nothing going on. But it was a close call!" he said.

"Helga, I don't know what all this is all about, but I would like for it to stop." he declared.

Helga just stood there, in silence, completely shocked at what Rodrigo had just told her. She felt her legs waver under the pressure and awkward position that she now found herself in.

_I...think I'm going to faint._ She thought to herself. But she resisted from collapsing and just shook it off.

She couldn't believe just how touchy and flirtatious she was being around him without her even realizing it!

_How could I be so stupid?! What came over me this past week?! How could I have let this all slip?! I'm Helga G. Pataki! Nothing slips by me unless I allow it to!_ She thought to herself as she mentally kicked herself.

_'Unless I allow it to'? Did I really let myself be that open to him about how I feel about him? Crimeny, I can't think about that right now! I have to focus on what I'm going to say to this kid!_ She continued to think.

As Rodrigo waited for her to say something, Helga started to panic as she attempted to come up with any explanation to get out of this seriously awkward situation, but she was finding no good answers to explain herself to him. For a brief second, she thought about telling him the truth; about her and Arnold. She had already told him a lot of things that nobody else knew, so why not this one? At least if she told him, he would not think she was cheating on Arnold. Plus it would allow her to see how he feels about her. But eventually, she decided against it. She still wasn't ready to tell this to anyone. She sadly and frustratingly pushed that thought aside, and then quickly started to think of something else.

As Rodrigo waited for her to say something, he noticed her facial expression changing. It went from concern, to embarrassment, and then... predictably, anger. Just then, she started giving him a scowling face.

_Ya, she's pissed._ He thought._ So much for her keeping her promise to not get angry._

But instead of saying anything, Helga simply grabbed her pack and coat and attempted to leave the stage.

Quickly realizing that she was doing, Rodrigo rushed in front of her and attempting to prevent her from leaving.

"Helga, wait! Look I'm sorry for being so forward to you about this, but I thought you needed to know..." he attempted to explain as he grabbed her arm, only for her to aggressively pull it away from his grasp.

"Explain what?" she exclaimed in anger. "That you thought that I was flirting with you?!"

"That's not what I said!" He countered. "All I said was that you were being a little too touchy and I was only politely asking to not cross any boundaries. That's it."

Helga than suddenly stopped walking away and turned around to face him, almost causing Rodrigo to collide with her.

"Well jeez, I didn't think you would take it so bad that little old me was only getting a wee bit touchy with you. I didn't know you find me that repulsive." she retorted while crossing her arms.

Rodrigo just looked at her with a confused look on his face.

"What?"

"You heard me. Why are you making a big deal out of this?" she asked.

"Are you being serious right now? What do you mean why am I making a big deal out of this? This is a big deal! Having our friends think that there is something going on between us while you are with someone else, aka Arnold, is a big deal! Apart from the fact that it is not true, you are also jeopardizing your reputation. Just last year you almost beat the living snut out of me for believing those dumb dating rumours. Now you are acting as if this isn't serious, when it is. " he explained.

"That was then. This is now. But fine, if you feel that I have violated you like a little wimp, I'll spare you." she said with an angry, raised voice.

"Helga, I wasn't saying that I was uncomfortable with you touching me. All I'm trying to say is to just...not cross any boundaries. I don't mind you giving me friendly slaps on my back or shoulders, but the whole caressing hand and my face thing, those were too much." he tried to reassure her.

"Tough luck Rodrigo!" she began to yell and getting more angry. "Everyone thinks of me as being cold and distant. And now, just when I am actually getting physically close to someone who I lik...I mean I trust and actually want to hang out with, while showing that I actually do have feelings to and that I care, I get scoffed at and people start looking at me like I am some sort of freak! The nerve of Gerald actually thinking I would be unfaithful to Arnold!"

"And besides," she continued. "If I started getting touchy, it must have been because you started leading me on!"

"What?!" Rodrigo exclaimed with a horrified look on his face.

"Think about it, why else would I get touchy?" she said while giving him a serious glare.

"I think you like me and you cannot stand me being with Arnold, so you tried to lead me on in order to lower my guard down so you can make your move. Well, guess what buster? That's not going to work with me!" she yelled.

Rodrigo was now completely mortified by what Helga had just said to him. He didn't know whether she was joking about this or not. Either way, he couldn't believe that Helga would try to put the blame on him; just so she could get out of this situation. This was a serious accusation, even if it wasn't true. If word of this ever got out, he knew their friends would never forgive him. Yet despite the reversal of events, Rodrigo attempted one last time to reason with her.

"Helga, this has nothing to do whether I find you appealing or not, nor is this about me being jealous, which I am not. This is about you having a boyfriend and me respecting that! I already told you that I would never come between you and him. So why are you accusing me of leading you on when it is you that has been touching me?" he asked her.

"I have never led you on." he continued. "Quite the contrary, it is you have been coming to see me and making any excuse to touch me or get close to me. Who fell asleep on my shoulders at the park on Christmas? Who invited me to have dinner and go to a school dance? Who, all of a sudden touched my hand? Don't put the blame on me for your mistake!"

Then he added, "And besides, even if I was leading you on, why would you reciprocate?" Then, he delivered his coup de grâce, "I thought you were better than that."

That last statement set Helga off.

"Excuse me? What did you say to me?" she asked him with a serious and deadly tone to her voice.

Rodrigo than instantly realized just how wrong he was in saying that last statement to her and instantly regretted it. But it was too late and besides, it served her right for accusing him of something that he didn't do.

"Are you calling a cheater?" she angrily asked him.

"I'm not saying that. You are; by accusing me of leading you on and you reciprocating." he said.

Helga simply took a deep breath, walked closer to him, grabbed him by his sweater, and then began to snarl and yell at him.

"You listen, and you listen well, bucko. I have never, EVER cheated on Arnold and I never will, especially with someone as low as the likes of you! You, of all people know what he means to me, so don't you ever accuse me of lying or cheating on him again!"

"And you don't ever accuse me again of trying to steal you away from him! There are better girls who would gladly be with me! So you're not worth fighting over, even if you are single!" he yelled back.

That last statement made Helga's heart sank. For the first time ever, she felt the feeling of rejection. Although Arnold had never explicitly rejected her, back in the fourth and fifth grades, he never showed any romantic interest in her. Quite the opposite; he showed interest in either Ruth or Lila, but never her. That alone was painful enough, which is why Helga never dared venture further with him and instead opted to bully him, just so he would notice her. With Rodrigo it was different. He had made it explicit to her; he did not consider her worthy enough to ever be with her and he was not willing to even try, regardless of her relationship status.

For Rodrigo, he said that in order to deter any remaining suspicion she may have of him being interested in her. He did not want to give her any more reasons to doubt him, but he also had another agenda. He was hurt when Helga said to him that she would never be with someone like him. Even if she was single, he felt she would never go out with him because he failed to meet her standard and so opted to hurt her back.

Helga then slowly let go of Rodrigo, as both teens then went silent for a moment, both looking visible hurt. Helga especially was finding this painful and, to her surprise, was within inches of shedding tears, but was seriously restraining herself from showing it to Rodrigo. Although she had felt worse pain than this, this was different. This was the pain of not being wanted, of not being good enough to be liked, let alone be loved. This is what she had been avoiding to experience the whole time with Arnold; she knew it would deeply hurt her. Now, much to her dismay, she was experiencing from Rodrigo.

After a while, Helga was no longer able to tolerate the silence, nor Rodrigo's presence and simply grabbed her bag and walked out of the gym, leaving Rodrigo alone and with the task of having to clean up the gym himself.

Rodrigo said nothing to her and simply watched her leave. Once she was gone, he sadly looked around the empty gym for a moment, and then began to clean it up himself.

_Gee, thanks Helga. Seriously, what class was using this gym? There are balls and chairs all over the gym. What the hell were they doing?_ He thought annoyingly.

Without help, it took Rodrigo more than forty-five minutes to clean up the gym.

Helga took the bus home that evening feeling completely confused, sadden and hurt. Although she didn't sob, she let out a few tears fall down her cheek, while covering her face with her hood. Apart from the rejection, she was reeling from the disbelief of how twisted her mind was; her accusing him of leading her on when it was the opposite. In her mind, it was utterly childish and pathetic and was mortified of ever allowing herself to put the blame on him.

_Rodrigo's right_. She admitted to herself in thought with tears still falling down from her eyes. _ I'm not good enough for him..._

**The next two days…**

The next day was horrible for both teens. None of them attempted to speak to each other, much less apologize. If anything, Rodrigo was avoiding her entirely, only seeing her during their history class but even there, made no attempt to even look at her.

By the second day, Helga decided to cut this charade and apologize to him. Unable to find him during lunch, she waited until their history class.

She managed to get inside early and patiently waited for Rodrigo to come. When he did, she started getting nervous, as she saw him still upset. Undeterred, once he sat down, Helga began to talk.

"Listen Rodrigo, I'm really sorry…" she began to say before Rodrigo cut her off.

"Save it Pataki. I'm in no mood for your apology." He retorted back at her, while looking straight at the blackboard, and then putting his headphones on.

Helga was going to continue talking, but the fact that Rodrigo had called her by her last name strongly indicated to her that he was seriously crossed with her. In all the months that they had known each other, he had never called her by her last name. This was new, if not scary. For a moment, he sounded like...Gerald. Then the teacher arrived and promptly started class, cutting any hope of her apologizing to him.

It went on like this for the rest of the day. By the third day, Helga was still determined to apologize to him. She had tried calling and texting him throughout, trying to get him to see her, but he never answered her back. On the same day during lunch, she quickly made her way to the first floor in the hopes of finding him. To her disappointment, he wasn't with his dancing friends, but found Gabriela there. Curious if perhaps she had seen him, Helga approached her.

"Hey, have you seen Rodrigo? I need to talk to him." she asked her.

When Gabriela turned around to face her, she was not happy to see her. Rodrigo had told her about their fight and although he omitted some things, it was enough evidence for her to take his side.

"Why? So you can accuse him again of something that he didn't do?" she retorted back at her while giving her a disapproving face.

Helga stood here completely stunned and disbelief.

"He told you what happened?" she asked her.

"I don't think he told me everything, but he told me enough. That was very low of you, Helga." She said with her arms crossed.

Despite not liking her attitude, Helga was in no mood in getting into a fight with her. She was not a priority at the moment.

"That is why I need to talk to him. I have been trying to apologize to him, but he has refused to even answer my texts and calls. I know what I said was wrong. Now have you seen him or not?" She said to her.

"I have, but sorry Helga, I'm not going to tell you where he is. He wants to be alone at the moment and I'm going to respect his wish." She said.

Helga sighed in frustration.

"Can you at least tell him that I need to talk to him? He'll listen to you." she said.

"Helga, I don't want to be caught in the middle here. Frankly, I don't even know why you two started fighting, so I don't know what to say to him. Why can't you just wait until he is ready to…" she said before Helga cut her off.

"I can't wait. Apart from that fact that I have been feeling extremely guilty for the past two days, we signed up for the annual dance performance and we need to practice. I'm not going to let this fight get in the way with that." She exclaimed angrily.

"Can you just send him a message for me and tell him that I'm sorry?" she continued.

Despite Helga's pleas, Gabriela was not really sympathetic to her. She was getting tired of Helga's antics and of Rodrigo having to put up with them.

"Sorry Helga, but unless you tell me what all of this is all about, I'm not getting involved." She said and waited for Helga to tell her.

"I'm not going to tell you anything! That's none of your business!" she angrily retorted back.

"Fine." was all Gabriela said before she turned around and started walking back to her group.

Seeing her only line of communication with Rodrigo slipping away, Helga caved in.

"Wait, Gabriela!" she called back. "Fine, I'll tell you."

Gabriela walked back to her and waited for an explanation.

"What I'm about to tell you, no can ever know about this, not even Rodrigo, got it?" Helga began to talk with a serious tone.

"Ok, I promise." said Gabriela, but Helga was not satisfied with that answer.

In a slow, but even more serious tone, Helga said to her, "Gabriela, if you say one word to this to anyone, I will send you to the hospital in pieces. You have never seen me get angry and you would not want to see it, ever. I will literally rip you apart, even if it costs me my friendship with Rodrigo, I will do it without regret or remorse. Got it?"

Normally Gabriela would not have taken this threat lightly and would have started a fight with her. But she was surprised that Helga was willing to end her friendship with Rodrigo if she ever broke her promise. She realized that whatever she had to say, it must be important, more so than her friendship with Rodrigo. Taking Helga's threat seriously, she relented.

"Ok, Helga, I promise not to say this to anyone. Now what is it?!"

"Has Rodrigo ever told you about Arnold?" she asked her.

Gabriela nodded.

"He is your boyfriend and you are in a long-distance relationship with him."

"He's not my boyfriend. He broke up with me more than two years ago, before he left Hillwood. I have been single since then." She began to explain.

"And what does that got to do with you two fighting? And why does Rodrigo still think he is your boyfriend?" Gabriela asked.

"None of our friends know about this. Everyone still thinks that I am in a relationship with Arnold, including Rodrigo. I have been clinging on to this hope that I would one day be with him again. I...I love him that much. But over these past few months, I've been developing...these feelings for Rodrigo. The reason why we fought was because Rodrigo noticed that I have been touchy with him, in a romantic way. When he confronted me about it, I panicked because I didn't realize that I was doing it. Because of the embarrassment, I also got angry because just when I'm...somewhat opening up to someone, I get shut down like that and people looking at me weirdly, as if I was always this cold and hostile person. I ended up putting the blame on him. We then said some hurtful things to each other and haven't spoken since."

"Why can't you just tell him the truth? That you are not with Arnold anymore." Gabriela asked her.

"Because I'm still in love with Arnold! But, I am also developing feelings for Rodrigo. I technically like two guys and I'm not sure what to do! It's not fair to Rodrigo for me to be with him if I am still in love someone else, even if he is not here. Plus, until that fight, I didn't know if he likes me or not, so there was no point in telling him if he doesn't. But I also can't just not like him. I only recently acknowledged to myself my feelings for him and I decided to take small steps, but me touching him romantically completely crossed all boundaries and I know that I screwed up. That's why I need to talk to him, so I can apologize to him for accusing him of ever leading me on. He is not that type of person, I know that. I just got scared and I have a problem in dealing with that. And yes, it was stupid and childish of me...and also pathetic." She explained.

Gabriela didn't know what to say. She was completely taken aback by how honest Helga was being with her, but she now understood why Helga was so adamant in making her promise to never reveal this to anyone.

"It doesn't matter now if I like him or not. He confirmed with me that he has no feelings for me, so I just have to suck it up and move on. My focus is just to fix this mess that I created. I can't lose him as a friend." Helga sadly added.

Gabriela wasn't convinced if Rodrigo didn't like her. Based on how Rodrigo would always talk about Helga, it sounded otherwise. He would always talk passionately about her and would always talk about her positive traits. The way he spoke about her, he made her into this wonderful person, despite her flaws. With Helga, although she still found her behavior to be inexcusable, she nevertheless understood the predicament she was in. Moreover, unlike other girls, she saw Helga would not simply hop into another relationship just to forget her previous boyfriend, unless she and the current person actually liked each other. Unless it was strictly for love, Helga would rather be alone than to cause any heartbreaks. Convinced, Gabriela relented.

"Ok, Helga. I'll help you. I'm supposed to meet up with him later today. I won't reveal anything that you told me, but I'll try to convince him to hear you out." She said with a smile.

"Thanks" said Helga, feeling relieved.

Gabriela than extended her hand. Helga was a bit surprised at the gesture and for a little while, hesitated. But she eventually shook it.

_God this woman is a piece of work!_ Gabriela thought to herself.

And with that, both teens departed.

**Later that day…**

As promised, Gabriela met up with Rodrigo after school. And as she promised Helga, she was going to convince him to speak to her again.

"Hey, how are you feeling today?" she asked him.

"Alright, still pissed off at Helga, but I'll live." He replied back nonchalantly.

"Speaking of which, I ran into her during lunch. Obviously she was looking for you." she said.

When Rodrigo said nothing, Gabriela continued,

"I think you should hear what she has to say and accept her apology."

"What, why? What did she say to you?" he asked her.

"Enough for me to try to convince you to talk to her. I think she is really sorry for accusing you of leading her on and she wants to make amends." She replied back.

"She is always sorry and she always apologizes. I'm getting tired of it." he said.

"But that is how people learn. You said it yourself, she was a loner for most of her life, and especially during the last two years, so how is she suppose to know what to say or what do if she was always on her own? Clearly she is going to stumble a few times."

"You make it sounds like she is feral." He said.

"She isn't, but you know what I mean; she needs help and you have been a great help to her. She still needs you and don't pretend like you don't like helping people." She said. "And besides, you have said worse things to her before and she still forgave you."

Rodrigo shamefully remembered during detention, when he accused of Arnold leaving Hillwood because he couldn't stand Helga anymore.

"And also," Gabriela continued. "It's not like you have never made a mistake. Need I remind you of the amount of times you and I have clashed and the amount of times we both said sorry to each other?"

"Have you turned lesbian on me? Why are you all of a sudden defending Helga?" he asked.

"Hey, I'm not a lesbian, I'm bisexual. There is a difference. And no, I'm not defending her because I'm attracted to her, although she kind of cute." She said with a devilish smile.

Rodrigo just chuckled at her flirteous look.

"If you're trying to make me jealous, it's not working." Rodrigo remarked.

"I'm just saying that I think you should just hear her out. People make mistakes and Helga is no different." said Gabriela.

*sigh* "Fine, I'll text her now and hear what she has to say." He said as he took out his phone and messaged her.

**The next day…**

Rodrigo had asked Helga to meet him at the small gym after school. Once class ended, Rodrigo quickly got his things and went straight to the gym and waited for her. He didn't have to wait long. Helga entered the room shortly after and walked towards him.

"Hey." He said.

"Hey, thanks for seeing me." She said back.

"Ya, Gabriela gave me your message. So I take you have something to say?" he asked with his arms crossed to his chest.

"Yeah" she sighed and began. "Look, I'm sorry for what I said. I wish I could take it back. I don't really have any good excuse for the way I acted and for touching you romantically. It wasn't my intention to do that and when you told me about it, I panicked. I tried to think of a reason why I was doing it, but I really don't have one and I ended up saying the first stupid thing that popped into my mind. I know that I hurt you and I'm sorry for leading you on. I promise I won't touch you again."

"I never said for you to stop touching me. I only asked you to stop touching that crossed boundaries. I told you that I have no problem you giving me a nudge on my shoulders of a tap on my back. Frankly, I think it is cute. And I'm sorry for what I said. I never meant to accuse you of ever cheating on Arnold. I know you are not that person. And...I'm sorry for saying that you are not worth fighting for; that was uncalled for." He replied back.

Helga was a bit surprised at the last thing Rodrigo said.

_What does mean he is sorry for saying that I'm not worth fighting over? Does he actually like me?_ She thought.

Despite her curiosity, Helga decided not to ask Rodrigo about what he meant by that, not wanting to get her hopes up.

While smiling at her, Rodrigo then extended his arms and waited for Helga to come forward to hug her. She hesitated.

"Come on, bring it in. You owe me." he said. "I thought you were trying to be more friendly." he added with a smirk.

Helga gave him her own smirk and reciprocated by hugging him back. It was a long but awfully good reconciling hug. After both of them let go, Rodrigo then suddenly gave Helga a nudge on her shoulder and asked her,

"So what song did you choose for the performance?"

"You still want to go through with it?" she asked him.

"Hell ya. I'm not going to let this dumb fight get in the way." he said with a smile.

Helga, smiled back.

"I haven't chosen a song yet. I have been busy trying to apologize to you during these last few days, doi!" She replied back.

"Well, think fast, the performance is only a few weeks away. In the meantime, did you want to practice today?" he asked.

"Yeah." She said.

**one hour later...**

After their practice, it was time to clean up the gym, but Rodrigo simply got his bag and started walking towards the exit.

"Well, I'll see ya tomorrow, Helga."

"Whoa, whoa there, bucko. You have to help me clean this mess first." She remarked.

"No, I don't. If you recall, after our fight, you just grabbed your bag and walked out. Who do you think cleaned the gym after you left?" he replied back to her with a devilish smile.

Helga remembered and instantly slapped her forehead.

"So now, in the spirit of our friendship, it is time for you to return the favour." He continued.

"Ugh, crimeny!" she yelled. "How about a free large pizza instead?" she offered.

"Nope. See ya. It'll take you about forty-five minutes to clean up." He said as he walked out.

"Way to rub it in Latino boy!" she barked back at him.

_Ugh, great!_ _What type of class uses this gym anyways?! _She thought.

**Later that evening…**

_My back is killing me! I had to clean up an entire gym on my own. Why, do you ask? Because I deserved it. I got into another fight with Rodrigo and I promptly left him to clean up the gym on his own. So now, I had to return the favour. Just lovely. Rodrigo and I have been wondering what class has this gym because we constantly find chairs and balls all over! We never got a chance to ask the teacher._

_Now I know you are also wondering why Rodrigo and I had to clean a gym. It's not because we got into trouble again. We entered into this year's Annual Dancing Performance that various schools participate in, and one of our teachers 'discovered' us by accidently stepping into the theatre where Rodrigo and I were dancing, so we signed up. I have to admit that I am pretty excited about it. We just need to come up with a song and theme. I am hoping to find a song pretty soon; I have narrowed it down to just eight songs, hahahaha._

_It would be nice for you to see us perform, football head. Yet alas, I know it is only but wishful thinking. But hey, a girl can dream, can't she? Maybe we can record it and I can send you the video tape. I'll see if I can do that._

_Your back-breaking girl,_

_Helga G. Pataki_

**So what does everyone think? Was Helga right in behaving that way? I mean, it is a pretty awkward situation to be in.**

**Again, the following chapters will take place after my first story, 'Helga's Confession'. If you have not yet read it, please do in order to understand what happens after.**


	27. Chapter 27 - After Helga's Confession

**Hi everyone! So starting from this chapter onward, this is no longer a prequel to my first story, 'Helga's Confession'. From here on there, they are now sequels. **

* * *

**Saturday morning...**

Rodrigo sat waiting at the local cafe. As he sipped through his hot chocolate, Rodrigo kept on rewinding last night's event. While proud of Helga on making such a brave stand, he was particularly remembering that kiss she gave him. He was not sure what to make of it. Despite Helga's insistence that it was only a friendly kiss, he wasn't convinced that it was only just to say thank you. Worse, he knew that Helga knew that he knew it was more than just a thank you kiss.

Finally, after five minutes of waiting, Phoebe finally arrived and entered the cafe. Rodrigo waved at her to signal where he was. Phoebe quickly made her way there and greeted him.

"Good morning, Rodrigo." she said cheerfully.

"Morning, Phoebe." he answered with less enthusiasm. "Thanks for meeting up with me."

"It's not a problem, Rodrigo. I assume that you have a lot on your mind about last night's event?" she asked.

Rodrigo had asked Phoebe to secretly met up on that morning to discuss what happened Friday evening.

"Yeah." he said as he got right to the point. "She lied about her relationship with Arnold, Phoebe. She lied to everyone." he bluntly stated with an aggravated voice.

Phoebe said nothing and merely looked down at the table. She could easily give him the usual explanation, but that wouldn't do any good. Although Helga did have her reasons, and Rodrigo knew that, it was frustrating in trying to help her out when you had the wrong information. It felt that all those attempts and efforts were for nothing.

"This whole time, we all thought she was in a long-distance relationship with him." Rodrigo continued. "All the research we did, we effectively gave her the wrong information. We completely misdiagnosed her psychological state. We thought she was experiencing, or initially experienced transference with me. But now, that is no longer the case. From the very beginning, she developed genuine feelings for me. There was no transference or sublimation."

"I concur. This whole revelation was very startling. To be honest, I never saw it coming and Arnold did well in hiding it from us, which surprises me even more since he was never a good liar." said Phoebe. "Well, now that, how do you say it? 'The cat is out of the bag', the question that I would like to pose for you is; how do you feel about her?"

Rodrigo just looked at her and hesitated to tell her about how he really felt about Helga. He wasn't sure if he should spill everything to Helga's best friend. Frankly, he didn't trust her to keep it a secret.

"I umm...uhh..." he attempted to say something but stumbled on his words.

Phoebe sensed his nervousness and gently held his hand in order to calm him down, and gave him some encouraging words.

"Rodrigo, it's ok if you like her too. We both know how Helga feels about you and now that she is actually single, I don't think you should feel ashamed in confessing about how you feel. I promise that I will not Helga anything."

Feeling encouraged, Rodrigo confessed.

*sigh* "I like her, Pheebs. As in, I like 'like' her, I really do. It didn't start out that way. Actually from the beginning, I found her annoying. I can't really pinpoint it, but it was around Christmas when I first realized that I felt something for her. It was small at first, and because I thought she was taken, I repressed them. But as time went on, it became difficult to do that and I found myself liking her more and more. It got up to a point where every time I'd get up in the morning, all I wanted to do the first thing I'd step in the school was to see her. And every time I did, I would get this really warm and exciting feeling. Despite the difficulty, I obviously hid any hints of me liking her. She made it clear to me that she was with Arnold and I wanted to respect that."

"What did you think about that? About her being with Arnold?" she asked him.

"I wasn't jealous of their relationship, but it did bother me that she was supposedly 'involved' in a long-distance relationship. She was here and the guy was thousands of miles away. I honestly didn't see the point in them being together, especially if Arnold was not coming back." he explained.

"It became more aggravating when I realized that Helga may also have liked me." he continued. "It felt like the whole situation was making a mockery of what I was feeling; she and I liked each other, but we couldn't be together because of she was with Arnold, or so we thought. I just had to sit by and watch her from the sidelines, slumping over that the fact that I would never get a chance to tell her how I feel, much less be with her."

"But at the same time," he continued. "Since I thought she was with Arnold, I saw no point in wallowing in my sadness, so I tried to moving on. I actually went on a few dates, but nothing really materialized. I never told Helga about them because 1) I know she has gotten jealous whenever I would get close to someone and I didn't want to upset or hurt her. And 2) if she saw that I was dating someone else, I was afraid that would force her to move on as well."

"And now that Helga has made it known that she is single, I know for a fact that she will eventually make her move. The thing is...I'm unsure on how to respond."

"Why would you be unsure?" she asked him.

"Because I don't want to hurt her, Phoebe. I mean, I know that her relationship with Arnold was rocky and I don't know how our relationship will be. I'm just worried that if we get together and if things don't work out, I'm afraid that our friendship will suffer as well. I really do not want to lose her as a friend. Plus, she has been through enough. She already had to deal with one horrible breakup; I don't want to add any more baggage for her. Worse, I don't want to jeopardize any of the progress that she has made over these months." he continued.

As Rodrigo continued talking, Phoebe simply smiled at him. Unbeknownst to him, Phoebe was internally jumping for joy at the thought of him and Helga being together. Apart from the fact that this would help her best friend finally have some happiness in her life, she thought that Rodrigo was just the type of guy for Helga. He was no Arnold, but he did possess a lot of the crucial qualities that she felt were necessary in order for someone to be with Helga. Even more importantly, Rodrigo had always cared for Helga's well being and even now, he wanted to make sure that whatever steps he took with her, it would not cause Helga any further harm or pain. Phoebe cannot be anymore thankful in having someone like Rodrigo show up in Helga's life at just the right moment. She just wished he had come sooner...

Phoebe merely reached for his hand, held it and said with a smile, "so long as you are honest with her and remain her friend, you will not hurt her."

Rodrigo smiled back and said, "thanks, Pheebs. You are a true friend and after what you did for Helga, I have nothing but the highest respect for you. I hope you know how proud everyone is of you."

"Thank you, Rodrigo." said Phoebe while smiling at him.

**Monday morning...**

As Gerald was getting himself ready for school, he wondered how he should proceed with Helga. Now that both were 'friends', he was nervous about ruining it again. He didn't know if he should be more friendly with her, or if he should take things slowly, or act as if Friday night never happened.

As he stepped out of his house and walked toward the bus stop, he couldn't but also feel a bit awkward about the whole thing. Throughout almost his entire life, he had been at odds with Helga, if not outright hostile. Now, he was supposed to leave all that aside and prepare himself for a new relationship with Helga; he now had to be nice to her and expect...some sort of civility in return.

_Be nice to Helga Pataki? That's like asking a fish to leap right into the jaws of a grizzly bear. Man, this is going to be weird, but I have to do it. She was willing to put all of our past wrongdoings aside, so it's only fair that I should do the same for her. I'm not going to make it anymore awkward than it already is. I'm just going to take it slow and just greet her and whenever I can, make small talk...so long as I still have my head in place._ He thought to himself.

Apart from the awkwardness of having to nice to Helga, he was upset with Arnold for not informing him of his relationship with Helga.

_Man, that kid is going to hear from me when I write to him the first chance I get! I can't believe he hid this from me and from everyone! Had he told us about this, I would have cut her some slack during the years since he left. I'm not going to hide my disappoint from him, even if he had his reasons. I'm going to let him know about this._ He continued to think to himself.

When Gerald arrived at school, he made his way toward Phoebe's locker. As he approached, he saw Helga. Not wanting to make things anymore awkward, when he approached them, he said while smiling,

"Morning, Pheebs. Morning Helga."

"Good morning, Gerald." said Phoebe happily, as she gave him a kiss.

"Hey, tall-hair boy." said Helga as she closed her locker and then looked at him with a bit of a smile.

_Alright, so far so good._ Gerald thought.

"How was your weekend?" he asked, trying to cover his nervousness.

"It was alright. Mostly quiet." she replied back while she shrugged her shoulders.

"Sounds pleasant." he said, as all three started walking towards their class.

Throughout the rest of the day, to Gerald's and everyone else's surprise, Helga continued to be relatively civil, even smiling a bit on some occasion. Although she still was physically distant, Gerald could tell that she seemed more relax and less hostile towards him and everyone else. If anything, she seemed happy to see them.

As the week progressed, Helga continued to be relaxed and even participated into some of their conversations. Although everyone noticed this, none tried not to make a big deal about it, for fear of putting her in an uncomfortable stoplight.

Rodrigo also attempted to not make a big deal about it and during the week, he continued to hang out with her, albeit with some caution. He was still not sure if Helga will make a move on him or not and he wasn't sure how he would react.

**Thursday...**

During lunchtime, Rodrigo decided to go and meet up with his dancing friends; it always helped him whenever he just wanted to forget things and enjoy the moment. He went downstairs, made his greetings, greeted Carmen and started dancing.

After the end of the second song, he felt a tap on this shoulder. When he turned around, he saw that it was Helga.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked.

Helga though, didn't respond, but merely stood there, smiling at him.

_She looks...different today._ He thought curiously.

Suddenly, Helga then extended her hand to Rodrigo, indicating that she wanted to dance with him, a move that surprised everyone. Rodrigo, despite his surprise and reluctance, accepted, grabbed her hand and made their way towards the dance floor.

"¡Oye! Qué canción?" (Hey! What song?) his friend Javier, asked them.

Rodrigo by this time was starting to get a bit nervous. Helga still had said nothing and only continued to stare at him with a confident and almost flirtatious smile. It was almost...intimidating, really. But upon hearing his friend's question, he answered.

"Um, merengue."

"No." Helga countered. "Salsa ¿Tienes la canción, _Vivir Mi Vida_ por Marc Antony?" (Salsa. Do you have the song, _Vivir Mi Vida _by Marc Antony?) she asked Javier.

"Si." (Yes) he responded, and started looking for the song.

While they were waiting, Rodrigo started scanning Helga's clothes and realized that she did look different. While still wearing her usual blue jeans, she had white shoes and was now wearing a somewhat thick, purple sweater that allowed it to fall from one of her shoulders, exposing her skin. As he looked up to her head, he realized to his shock that something was missing!

"Your hat, you're not..."he attempted to say.

"Nope." she responded while still smiling.

"Your pink bow, i-it's not there." he whispered to her.

"Nope." she responded back.

Finally, Javier found the song, put it on and started playing it, prompting both teens to start dancing.

From the very beginning, it became obvious to Rodrigo that Helga was not just dancing with him. No, she was revealing something to him. Initially they danced rather normally, nothing fancy. But then Helga started getting physically closer to him, just as the music started picking up the pace. Rodrigo would turn her around, allowing her to crept ever closer to him, all awhile still giving him a loving smiling. She would occasionally kneel and lower down a bit, only to quickly get up, while moving her hips left and right, getting closer and closer towards into between Rodrigo legs, but always falling short from touching. She was teasing him!

Rodrigo's heart started racing and was starting to have difficulty in keeping pace, as he was starting to get mesmerized with the way Helga was moving. His heart was pounding, almost ready to jump out. Her dancing was within pace, yet filled with energy. It was simple, yet sexy. At one point, he almost stumbled. But he then managed to regain his focus and started dancing with her faster and a bit more aggressively. Liking it, Helga than reciprocated and whenever she could, would let go and make her own moves, while remaining extremely close to his body. At one point, the two teens let go and then moved both hips moved to the beat, they prepped closer and closer, until their legs were almost in between their crutch.

Rodrigo had no idea what became of Helga, but he was enjoying it! Finally, the song ended and so did their dance.

After dancing, it became obvious to Rodrigo that this was Helga's invitation. This was what he was waiting for; her indicating to him that she wanted to take things to the next level. But Helga still said nothing to him. She simply got her belongings and said 'I'll see you in history class' then walked away, leaving Rodrigo alone on the dance floor, completely speechless.

It didn't take a genius to understand what Helga was attempting to say to him. Even Carmen recognized it and said to Rodrigo, "creo que te quiere." (I think she likes you.) with a smile.

Rodrigo said nothing and simply continued to look at Helga as she walked away. She made her move, now it was his turn to respond.

**During last weekend...**

During the weekend, Helga thought long and hard about what that kiss meant to her. Yes, it was a thank you kiss, but she knew that deep down, it meant more to her than that and she knew that this wasn't lost to Rodrigo either. By the time Sunday came around, she finally admitted to herself what she long knew, but was unwilling to admit it; that kiss was romantic. There was just no longer any way for her to avoid it. Was she in love with him? No, but she did like him...a lot. Actually, it had gotten to the point where she often thought about him, although in a less obsessional and creepy kind of way.

It wasn't the same as with Arnold. When she first met football head, she passionately and instantly fell in love with him from the get go. But with Rodrigo, it was a gradual process, yet even now it was not as intense. It wasn't passion that she was feeling. Rather, it felt more like compassionate. Once she admitted it, she knew now what the next step was. There was no longer any reason to prolong the inevitable.

_I want to be with him..._She thought to herself.

After she came to this conclusion, and as the days rolled by up to Wednesday, Helga came home from school, still in deep thought about how to make her move. She decided that instead of a usual and awkward verbal confession, she wanted it to be something implicit, but enough for him to catch it. She also wanted it to have a special meaning, one that both of them would understand, as well as something that they both share. After some time, she decided she would dance with him the next day and show it to him; that she was ready to take their relationship to the next level. Once she did that, all she had to do was wait for his response, which she was certain that it was a 'yes'.

For some time, it had become somewhat apparent to Helga that Rodrigo might also have feelings for her. She wasn't stupid; she could see the signs.

_I know this kid must like me too. _She thought. _Apart from the occasional 'slips of the tongue', he has been making serious attempts to hang out with me. Even when he already has plans, he cancels them just so we can hang out together for the day. Heck, even whenever I text him, he immediately responds back. It's as if he has been waiting for me to text him. I know that's gotta mean something! I know from personal experience that you don't behave this way unless you like the person._

Yet, there was something else that was missing. Helga realized that a simple dance wasn't enough. She felt she had to proof to Rodrigo that she was willing to take this step and not allow her love for Arnold to get in the way. She knew that Rodrigo would probably hesitate to be with her if he was aware that she still had recurring feelings for her beloved football head and unless she proved it otherwise, he may reject her.

To prove to herself that she was going to be committed not just to this new venture, but also to Rodrigo, she walked towards her closet, opened it and saw her entire collection of pink books, filled with poems, short stories, souvenirs, and anniversary presents from Arnold. She only got rid of her shrine once she and him got together, but everything else remained. Although she never showed him her shrine, after they got together, she did confess to him at some point in time that she contained 'small reminders' of him, which at one point, included his little blue hat.

For twenty minutes, she stood at the closet entrance, seriously contemplating in throwing most, if not all of them away. Yet, she resisted. She just stood there, tightly holding onto the closet entrance. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't move. She started snarling at her hesitation, yet even that failed to move her. Tears started developing and falling down her cheeks at just the thought of letting go of all those memories of him, of them being together. She knew that there was no longer any point in keeping them. She and Arnold had broken up more than two years, with no indication of them ever getting back together. For almost three years, she held on to that hope, avoiding everyone, and moving day by day on one being getting back together. Yet despite it all, and despite wanting to now be with Rodrigo, she couldn't part with them...not yet anyways.

_Jeez, even now, it is hard to let go of him!_ She angrily thought.

Finally, she reluctantly decided to keep them for a little while longer. It was not just for the memories that she didn't want to part with them; some of these books contained some of the best poetry and short stories that she had ever written. Even if they were about Arnold, she was still proud of her work and thought they might come in handy in her future career, whether as a writer or in the social sciences.

In addition, there was no guarantee that Rodrigo would return her feelings. Since almost day one, she had played everyone that she and Arnold were still together and Rodrigo, out of respect, kept his distance. Although she was confident that he might reciprocate, she had no way of truly knowing unless she made the first move. Hence, there was no point in departing from her books and Arnold souvenirs if Rodrigo rejected her. If she and Rodrigo got together, she hoped Rodrigo would understand her decision in keeping them for the time being.

As she thought about her being with Rodrigo, she started experiencing guilt. Even now, if she had to choose between Arnold and Rodrigo, she would choose her beloved football head and that made her feel guilty about being with Rodrigo; he was a second choice and it was not fair to him. However, she was no longer with Arnold, so it was an irrelevant comparison. Plus, she was confident that with time and patience, she would be able to get over her beloved football head and dedicate her love and heart to Rodrigo.

She made up her mind. Enough was enough. She would finally move on and she wanted to do that with Rodrigo. But she still needed to do something that would prove to her and to him that she was ready to make the first step.

_But what can I do to prove him that?_ She thought to herself.

As she was thinking, she scratched her head and felt her pink bow on her head. Then an idea popped into head of what she could do, but it was something that she always dreaded she would lose; her pink bow. She knew it would hurt, she knew it would a painful departure, but she had to do it, she had prove to everyone that she was ready to let go. She was not going to throw it away! Like her books and souvenirs, she was going to store it away in her closet for now. It was a small step, but a big one.

Helga then walked to her mirror to take a one last look at it while it was on her head. It has been in her head since she was three. It had always been a part of her. As she stared at it, she sighed. Then feeling confident and brave, she began to untie her pink bow from her head for the very last time...

**Back in the Present...**

During the rest of that day, Rodrigo made no attempt to respond to Helga's advance. He wasn't ignoring her; he just didn't bring it up. Helga for her part, said nothing about it and merely waited for his response.

By the time Friday rolled around, he still hadn't answered her. He continued to act as if nothing happened. Helga was not surprised and simply continued to wait. She was confident that he will give her an answer soon, and would not have to wait so long.

_Besides, I've waited for more than a year for that stupid football head to finally have feelings for me; I'm sure I can a few days or even a week or two for Rodrigo._ She thought to herself.

Yet, despite the confidence, the waiting was becoming nerve-wrecking. Every time she saw him it got her hopes that he finally had an answer for her, only for him to continually not bring the subject up, much to her annoyance.

_He'd better have an answer for me soon! He should know better than to leave a girl dangling like this, especially one who can beat him to a pulp!_ She thought annoyingly.

With Rodrigo meanwhile, there was no doubt in his mind and in his heart on how he felt about her; he liked her...a lot. Despite his restraints, he had been developing feelings for her and they have only gotten stronger. As for his mind, there was no doubt on what he wanted to do; he wanted to say 'yes'. Actually, he had been wanting to say 'yes' since Wednesday. Yet, he hesitated. No, he wasn't doing that. Quite the contrary, for the past two days, he had been trying to discourage himself from dating Helga!

_I have to be realistic. Helga, despite her progress, still has a very short temper and is still prone to violent outbursts. I can only imagine how things would turn up if I ever introduce Helga to my Mom; one of them would be dead by sundown, hahahaha._ He thought to himself amusingly. _I'm not sure if I want to deal with that. I mean, how did Arnold deal with it? This guy is more patient than I am. But...she has changed since we met, she has gotten more relaxed and is more able to have a decent conversation without getting aggressive. Perhaps things will turn out for the better. And besides, it's not like my Mom will like any girl that I may bring to my home. Pfft, knowing her, she will be suspicious and get jealous anyways._

_And I'm also worried about her jealousy. Oh my god, her jealousy! Some of the stories that she told me about how jealous she used to get, even before she got together with Arnold, were...scary. How is she going to feel if she sees me talking to another girl? Or if I have a girl as a partner for a class assignment? Or if I just happen to befriend a girl at some point in time? How am I going to deal with that? But then again, what's the difference between her jealousy and a Latina's jealous? Hahaha, very little difference! Besides, based on what she went through, it isn't surprising for her to be insecure. Well that and...I guess it is kind of nice that a girl can show just how much you mean to her. If she gets jealous over me talking to someone, I guess it just means that she will not allow anyone to get near me; I'm hers. She must like me that much if she feels that way._

As Rodrigo continued with his thoughts, he realized that he was only fooling himself into trying to discourage himself by pointing out Helga's flaws. He knew the real reason why he was to doing it: Arnold. He couldn't deny the fact that Helga's deep love, if not obsession with this guy, was very concerning. He was not confident that Helga would ever get over him, at the very least, enough for him to be comfortable with it.

_Yet, it's not as if she was trying to get over him during these last three years. I mean, she said it herself, she made no attempt to move on. She clanged on to this hope that they would one day be together again. But then again, she made it explicit to me on Wednesday that she was willing to not only commit to me, to us, but she showed me the proof; she took out her pink bow! I know it's only a small step, but it's a big one! Months ago, she would have never parted with it._ He thought.

But it was more than just fear and paranoia. Despite his feelings for her, he felt he was encroaching on something, something beautiful yet forbidden. He wasn't sure why he felt this way, but he thought that Arnold and Helga, despite their rocky relationship, were destined to be together, and it wasn't just him who thought that way either. Despite what they have gone through, they progressed and Rodrigo thought that's what solidified their relationship; they have invested too much into each other for him to just come in and 'take' Helga away from Arnold. It was as if it was written onto the stars and Rodrigo felt serious guilt at just the very thought of making any attempt to disrupt that.

_But then again_, he thought. _Arnold did break up with her and it has been more than two years, with no sign of them either getting back together. Had there been even the slightest hint of that, I'm sure Helga would never have made her feelings known to me. Arnold did break up with her so she can move on. If anything, he disrupted it, not I. But I can't help but feel guilty at making a move on her._

_But then, Arnold is not here. If he were, it would be a huge problem. But since he is not, then I guess there is a chance that this could work. I mean, I can count on the fact that Helga would not have made her feelings known to me if she wasn't sure herself that she can overcome her feelings for Arnold. It's a risk if I decide to go through with this. But then again, what relationship does not have its risks? There is no proof that a relationship would ever last. I mean, we all hope that it would, but we know that it is sometimes out of our control._ He continued to think.

Rodrigo sighed and knew that in order for this to work, he had to be patient and to demonstrate to her that he would be taking this relationship seriously. He had to prove to her that she was the only person he wanted to be with. He had no doubt that this relationship will test him, but there were so many benefits to being with her; he liked her confident, and assertive personality. She maybe a bit cynical, but to Rodrigo, that meant that she would not easily succumb to any ideology or influence. She would analyze them and make her own decisions, regardless of what anyone thought and to Rodrigo, he highly praised that.

Moreover, he was deeply in awe with her intellect. Helga had slowly revealed that she was more than a match to Rodrigo when it came to discussing intellectual topics, especially when it came to the literature classics. This was something rare in women. He had known many smart women, but few who had a deeper understanding of people and how the world works. Helga and Phoebe were two such people that he highly respected.

_You don't find a woman like that every lifetime, so you sure as hell better not waste the opportunity!_ He thought to himself.

Just thinking about it was making Rodrigo fall into a type of love trance as he went home, with a huge smile on his face. However he soon snapped out of it and continued thinking.

Helga may not have been the prettiest girl out there, but that didn't bother Rodrigo. He highly valued internal traits over physical appearance. And besides, she did have some physical beauty. Sure, she had a unibrow and often walked around looking like she just got out of bed, but that only made Rodrigo like her even more. She was confident in her appearance!

_She is beautiful on the inside and outside!_ He thought happily.

By the time he arrived home, he had made his decision: it would be a 'yes'!

_Screw it! I'm going to say 'yes'!_ He thought confidently and excitedly. _I like her and want to be with her. She is not perfect and that's what I like about her; she knows that she is not perfect and she doesn't care! Besides, I'm not perfect either, so we'll have to work on it, together._

But he would answer her first thing on Monday. He wanted the weekend to think about on how he was going to respond to her.

_Maybe flowers? Nah. What about some chocolate? God, no! She is not that romantic! What if I just return the favour and ask her to dance with me, catching her off guard, like she did with me? That could work._ He thought.

When Rodrigo arrived home, he saw some mail on the table and decided to quickly scan them. After slipping through a few envelopes, he saw one that came from San Lorenzo.

_Oh, from Arnold_. He thought.

He took the envelop, went up to his room, closed the door, put his bag on the floor, then opened it and started to read it.

_Querido Rodrigo__,_

_School here has been very good. I am very grateful that I have been able to stay in one school long enough to finally makes some friends. I went out with a few of them last weekend and we had a blast! I was given some dancing lessons there and based on their opinion, I wasn't too bad for a foreigner. School is the same as ever. I am still trying to catch up from the weeks of being absent, but it is not too bad. My marks have remained high and I calculated that I should be on par with the rest of my classmates within a week or two._

_A few days after that, I had a bit of an accident while playing baseball. One of the players hit the ball and it struck my knee. Nothing broke, but it got really bruised. I am barely able to walk, but I am managing. It is a bit difficult to get around as a huge chunk of the capital is elevated up high, which makes it difficult to walk upstairs or downstairs. But the doctors confirmed that it should heal within a few weeks, but I am definitely out from trying out for the baseball team this season._

_On a positive note, I have some big news to tell you. Weeks ago, my parents submitted to their superiors a request to take some time off and to go back to Hillwood to visit. Today, they just received their approval! Yes, I'm coming back home! And the best part is that ,as a courtesy to them and for their hard work, they moved the date to correspond with the March break in the U.S., so I'll be visiting at a time when everyone will be off! I cannot tell you how super excited I am to finally come home and visit. My only concern is to try and finish as much of my school work as possible before I leave, as I will not take any of them with me to Hillwood. I intend to it make the best of the time that I have to see and hang out with everyone._

_I am sure you know by now that I have tried several times to visit, only for my plans to repeatedly get cancelled at the last minute, much to my disappointment. However, my parents assured me that in the event if their vacation does get cancelled, I can go on my own. So rest assured Rodrigo, that this is a 100% confirmed._

_I have already informed our friends about this news in their letters, so don't be surprised if you get pulled by them to start planning on what we should do once I arrive. Both Gerald and Rhonda have done that in the past._

_Yours truly,_

_Arnold Shortman_

No sooner had Rodrigo finished reading the letter when he started receiving various text messages from his cell. Months before, he was invited by Gerald to be part of the group discussion on Whats App, where they can speak to several people at once and coordinate. Everyone was invited into the group, including Helga, although she never accepted the invitation. Putting Arnold's mail on his study table, he grabbed his cell and read the messages.

**Gerald: Did you guys read Arnold's latest letter?**

**Sid: I did Gerald! Boy howdy, he is finally coming to visit us!**

**Lila: I read his letter too! I'm ever so excited!**

**Harold: Wohoo! We should organize a pizza party for Arnold!**

**Rhonda: OMG! I cannot believe he is finally coming to visit us! Nadine, please come over to my house tonight, if you can. We have a lot of things to discuss and a whole week of planning to do! Gerald, are you able to come over as well?**

**Nadine: Definitely, Rhonda! I'll be there soon!**

**Sheena: Oh my, this is exciting!**

**Eugene: This is great news you guys!**

**Stinky: Well I'll be darn-it, the chickens have finally come home to roost!**

**Phoebe: This is super exciting!**

**Gerald: Ya, Rhonda, I'm down to come over to start planning for Arnold's arrival**

* * *

**Well, I'll bet you guys didn't see that one coming, lol. We'll find out next time how Rodrigo and Helga deal with Arnold's arrival.**

**Just a few responses to some reviews:**

**Ezza: you shan't be disappointed ;)**

**Call Me Nettie: True, that's why I wanted to bring it up in this story. Plus I also wanted to have a chapter where Helga helps Rodrigo out for a change. **

**UloveME143: Thank you! I tried following the traditional setting from the TV series with its sense of realism and relatable topics. That's one of the main reasons why I love this show. **


	28. Chapter 28 - Arnold Visits Part 1

**Hi everyone! Sorry for the long wait, but here it is! In this chapter, everyone is excited about Arnold coming to visit. Rodrigo tries to help everyone plan their week on what they are going to do once Arnold arrives.**

**I've also started writing another story, called 'Arnold's Legacy'. It takes places after the events of this story, but there are no spoilers! Check it out and let me know what everyone thinks.**

* * *

During the week before Arnold's arrival, everyone was excited about him visiting. It had been the main topic of discussion throughout the entire weekend, spilling over to the next week.

On Monday during their lunchtime, as Rodrigo was entering the lunchroom to sit with his friends, he saw them once again conversing on what they are planning on doing with Arnold. Although, not wanting to discourage them, he attempted to calm them down a bit.

"Hey guys, perhaps you should calm down a bit." he said.

"Why?" Gerald asked him.

"Well, it's because I don't want you guys to get your hopes up. Arnold has cancelled before and I know you guys are really happy that you are going to see him, but I just don't want you guys to be disappointed again." he explained.

"Oh Rodrigo, didn't you read his letter? He said he is coming regardless if his parents cancel their vacation plans or not. He confirmed 100%" Rhonda interjected.

"That's right Rod." Stinky added to the conversation. "And besides, we plan on making the most out of it. Who knows when we will see Arnold again, so we just want to make sure we get to see him as often as we can."

"Yeah man, so relax and come help us plan for next week's event." said Gerald as he put his arms around him and walked with him to their table.

"Ok. What have you guys thought of so far?" Rodrigo asked.

"Well I spoke with his grandfather not too long ago and he said that Arnold will be arriving this Friday afternoon. Obviously he is going to spend time with his grandparents and the tenants so he won't be available until this Saturday afternoon. I had asked his grandparents if we can have a small party at the boarding house, just so we can catch up and stuff and they agreed. Sunday we plan on taking Arnold to the Hillwood Complex Mall. Monday we plan on just hanging around the neighbourhood and letting him feel the nostalgia. And that's as far as we got." Gerald explained.

As Rodrigo helped everyone plan out for next week's event, he also had something else in his mind that was far more important and it was bothering him; Helga.

Since last Friday, Rodrigo had texted Helga a few times so see how she was doing after getting Arnold's letter, but she never responded back. When Monday rolled around, she was nowhere to be seen. She even failed to show up for their history class. Getting worried, Rodrigo texted her again to see where she was, but again she didn't respond back. After school ended, Rodrigo immediately went to talk to Phoebe to see if she has heard anything from her.

"Hey Phoebe." he said to her when he saw her at her locker.

"Afternoon Rodrigo." she responded back.

"Have you heard from Helga lately? She hasn't returned any of my text and calls and she even skipped history class today. Is she alright?" he asked with a concerned tone to his voice.

Phoebe paused for a bit before responding. "She is alright, Rodrigo. She just wishes to be alone at the moment. I'm afraid with Arnold coming at the end of this week, it has been a bit overwhelming for her. It has been a lot of take. Just give her some time and she will come around." she explained.

Rodrigo was not happy at all with her response. Although glad that she was still breathing at least, he was dismayed at Helga wanting to be left alone. He didn't know if Phoebe knew about Helga's confession to him last week or not, but he wasn't going to risk in letting her know. All he could do right now was just respect Helga's wish at the moment.

"Ok, thanks Phoebe." he replied back, before walking with her to the bus stop to go home.

As the days rolled by, Rodrigo still heard nothing from Helga, but made no further attempts to communicate with her, other than asking her about her homework.

**Rodrigo: hey, I have your homework from history class. Where did you want to pick them up? I can take them to your place.**

**Helga: Give them to Phoebe.**

Rodrigo just groaned in frustration. He was hoping the homework excuse would allow him to see her.

**Rodrigo: OK.**

Rodrigo was by now, getting upset with Helga. She didn't even want to see him. No ,worse; she was avoiding him! Nevertheless he respected her wish and gave her homework to Phoebe.

By the time Wednesday rolled around, Rodrigo was becoming demoralized and hurt by Helga's avoidance. He was really not liking where this was going. Initially, he was a bit nervous about how Helga would react to Arnold's letter, but now it was becoming nerve-wrecking for him. He was constantly thinking about it, constantly wondering if Helga still had feelings for him or if they just disappeared and she was now focusing on Arnold again. He didn't know what she exactly she was thinking or what she wanted to do, but that was not bothering him. What was really driving the nails onto his skin was that he knew that Helga was just was confused as he was.

_Ugh, this is seriously aggravating me! I can't sleep properly, I can't even eaten properly. I can't do anything! Every day I get more and more nervous and anxious about all of this! I just want to talk to her and get this done, whether it is a yes or a no!_ He exclaimed to himself.

Despite the hurt and emotional toil that he was feeling, Rodrigo understood why Helga felt she needed to be alone. He knew that just because Helga professed to him that she liked him did not mean that her feelings for Arnold disappeared, or even decreased. Yet, he was confident that with time and with Arnold not being physically present, she would eventually let him go and dedicate her heart to him. Now, he wasn't so sure. He also knew the possible feelings that Helga was probably experiencing; she felt ashamed and confused. She explicitly showed her feelings towards him last week, only for Arnold's letter to allow her feelings for him to re-emerge with a vengeance, rivaling, if not dwarfing her feelings for him. It made sense; how can she look at Rodrigo in the eyes and still say, 'I like you' when she had stronger feelings for someone else? Was that fair to him and her? No, it wasn't. She didn't feel ashamed for telling him how she felt about him, of that he was sure. She felt ashamed for not being able to do away with her previous boyfriend's feelings for him in order to be with him.

_It must make her feel not only confused, but feel that her feelings for me are only half-hearted; as if she is not really trying to be 100% to be with me. As much as she wants to, she is not able to give me her whole heart. No, her heart still belongs to Arnold. _He thought sadly.

This did not make Rodrigo feel any better; it was only making him more angry and hurt, causing him to feel pain on his chest. Whatever confidence he initially had that their relationship could grow and become long-term was slowly fading away. Based on Helga's behavior, he no longer felt he could trust her enough to take that 'leap of faith' and be with him.

_I could still just risk it and still attempt to be with Helga, if she is willing. But, I'm afraid it always pale in comparison with her love for Arnold. I will never think that her love for me would ever be...enough. I will always be afraid, if not paranoid that she could one day leave me to go back to him. No, I can't risk it. I don't trust her enough for me to take that 'leap of faith'._ He continued to think.

By the time Rodrigo made it home on that Wednesday afternoon, he decided to withhold his answer to Helga until Arnold left.

_She has too much on her mind right now to worry about my response. Plus, I want to use Arnold's visit as a test and see how Helga behaves through the time that he is here and to see how she still feels about me and him. I will need to talk to her about this after he leaves. Although right now, this test is off to one lousy start._ He thought.

**Thursday…**

During lunch, while everyone was still busy planning for next week, Rodrigo was lost in his own thoughts, quietly sitting and eating his food, paying no attention to them.

_This is hopeless!_ He thought in despair. _I have to just sit by and 'wait' for Helga to give me some sort of indication on what she wants to do, all awhile knowing that she can't! Ugh, I give up. Perhaps I should just text her and just end all of this..._

"Yo! Rodrigo! Hello?!" Gerald called him while waving his hand in front of him.

"Huh? What?" Rodrigo asked startlingly, getting out of his train of thought.

"You alright, man? You've been really quiet lately and distant. You having family issues again?" Gerald asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"No, sorry Gerald. I've...just haven't been sleeping much lately. I don't know why but it happens to me sometimes." Rodrigo explained.

"Hehehe well, no wonder. You've been looking like crap lately." Sid interjected with a laugh.

"Pfft! You're just jealous Sid because even with the way I look now, I'm still more beautiful than you." Rodrigo countered with a chuckle as he groomed his hair with his hand, trying to make a joke out of his otherwise frustrating situation.

"Hehehe sure, whatever you say, Rodrigo." said Sid.

"Anyhoo, you were asking me something, Gerald?" Rodrigo asked him.

"Ya, I was asking you what do you think about our plan on what to do with Arnold for Tuesday and Friday?" he responded.

"Let me look at the schedule." said Rodrigo, as Gerald handed him over the schedule.

"Hmm. So you are planning on spending some time downtown on Tuesday. Why are there X's on Wednesday and Thursday?" he asked.

"Arnold said that he wanted to spend some time with his grandparents and the tenants, so we gave him Wednesday and Thursday to hang out with them. We're thinking of taking him to the movies on Thursday evening, but that is still up in the air." Gerald responded back.

"And Friday you guys got nothing?" Rodrigo asked.

Gerald just shook his head.

Rodrigo pondered for a while on what they can possibly do on Friday. Then, he had a thought.

"Hey, why don't we spend some time on Friday taking dancing lessons?" he offered.

"Dancing lessons, Rod?" Stinky attempted to clarify.

"Ya, Latin American dancing. You know, salsa, merengue, cumbia, etc." Rodrigo responded with some excitement in his voice. "Arnold said that he has been practicing his salsa moves in San Lorenzo and I would like to see what he has learned thus far. Plus, I can teach you guys. Heck, I've been helping Helga with her moves, so I'm sure I can help you guys out."

Everyone just looked at each other and thought about Rodrigo's proposal. It didn't seem like a bad idea.

"Well I think that is an ever so nice proposal, Rodrigo." said Lila with an excited voice. "I think we should do that. It'll be ever so much fun!"

"Well, I could sure use a teacher to help me with these here two left foots." said Stinky as he pointed to his feet.

"I think it's a wonderful idea. This group could use some refinement." Rhonda agreed.

Gerald though, wasn't so sure.

"Eh, I don't know Rodrigo." said Gerald while he rubbed the back of his head.

"Afraid, Gerald?" Rodrigo challenged him with a cocky smirk.

"What? Me? Afraid? Pfft, as if!" Gerald confidently shrugged off Rodrigo's challenge.

"Then, why not dance?" Rodrigo confidently responded back, while continuing to give him a smirk. "You're the coolest guy I know, but your dancing is... eh comme si, comme ca. You could use a few dancing lessons. Sorry, Phoebe."

"Hey! Those are fighting words!" said Gerald with a raised and somewhat aggressive voice.

Phoebe said nothing and just giggled.

"I happen to agree with Gerald's hesitation." Eugene interjected. "As much as I love dancing, things tend to go wrong whenever Arnold and I are in the same room. So I propose if we may find another event that has less potential in me getting hurt."

"Ya, good luck with that." Harold interjected with a chuckle. "But I agree with Eugene. Dancing is not my thing, so let's do something else."

"I agree with Harold and Eugene." said Sheena. "I'm not much of a dancer either."

"Alright, alright." said Gerald. "Let's hold off on the dancing lessons for now, and try to come up with another idea on what we can do for Friday. If nothing comes up, then we can go over to the boarding house and have Rodrigo teach us a few moves. Everyone cool with that?"

Everyone, including Rodrigo, nodded in agreement.

Then suddenly, Rodrigo's cell vibrated, almost startling him. When he opened it, he realized to his excitement, that it was Helga!

**Helga: Hey, are you free to meet up at the small gym for our practice today?**

Rodrigo was so excited that she finally responded, he had to give himself some time so he can calm down in order to calmly respond. He also didn't want to draw any more attention to himself from his friends.

**Rodrigo: Ya, I am. I'll meet you there after school.**

**Helga: K**

When school ended, Rodrigo immediately got his things and went to meet up with Helga at the gym, who was already there waiting for him. He nervously entered the gym and walked towards her. He felt he hasn't seen her in years and all he wanted to do was just be with her, but he refrained from letting himself do something stupid. He just acted cool and tried not to make a big deal out of it.

"Hey." he said to her.

"Hey"

"How you been doing?" he asked her, while wiping his sweaty palms on his sweater.

"Ok" she nonchalantly replied back. "You ready to get started?" she asked him as she put her bag down.

"Ya" he replied back.

Despite looking so calm on the outside, Rodrigo knew that this whole thing with Arnold coming to visit was eating her alive on the inside. She seemed too calm to not let it bother her.

Throughout their entire practice, it was awkwardly quiet. Neither said anything to each other. For Rodrigo, the tension was killing him. For a moment, he seriously contemplated in just bluntly asking Helga how she was feeling about all of this and if there was any future of them being together. He had become so anxious over her silence and supposed indecision that he no longer cared if the answer was a 'yes' or a 'no'; he just wanted to know! Yet, he knew that Helga would not be able to provide him with an answer; as she didn't know it herself. Eventually, despite his frustration, he relented and said nothing.

Once they were done, Helga then dropped a bombshell.

"I'm going to see Arnold this Saturday morning." she said.

Rodrigo looked up at her with surprise.

"But I thought Gerald said that he was going to be busy Friday and Saturday morning with his family." he said.

"Friday yes. Saturday no. The second part was a ruse. Arnold only said that because he wanted to see me first and alone." she explained.

The news hit Rodrigo's chest like a bomb and he instantly started feeling the pain again on his chest, followed by deep sadness and anger. But he reframed from showing it to Helga. He didn't know why Arnold wanted to see her alone. Could he have changed his mind? Did he want to start a long-distance relationship? Or did he simply wanted to talk to her and get the awkwardness out of the way?

"H-How do you feel about it?" he asked her while trying not to dispel his nervousness onto his voice.

"Petrified, actually." She said as she nervously rubbed her hands together. "I haven't seen him in almost three years and the last time we saw each other, it wasn't on good terms. I don't know what I'm going to say to him when I see him."

Against his better judgment and knowing he will regret it later, Rodrigo then instantly blurted out, "If you want, I can go with you to the boarding house to see him. You know, for moral support."

Helga merely looked at him calmly before saying to him, "I'll think about it."

"Ok." he said back.

**Friday night…**

Rodrigo was in his room, doing his homework. Well, he was trying to do his homework. By this time, he was exhausted, both physically and emotionally. He had not slept properly in days. Last night he only slept for four hours, unable to get this whole drama out of his mind. He was growing anxious by the day and like he predicted, he regretted offering to go with Helga to the boarding house tomorrow to see Arnold, as it was only aggravating his situation even more.

By this time, Rodrigo no longer wanted to see Arnold, nor have anything to do with him. As much as tried to think otherwise, he now saw him as a rival and a threat, one that he felt he needed to do away, at least for Helga's sake, if not also his. Yet he had to seriously restrain himself from such thoughts. He cannot blame Arnold for his situation. Heck, he cannot even blame him for what Helga must be going through. He has no idea! But he couldn't help it. By this point, he was now hoping that Helga would reject his offer and go alone.

As he continued to struggle with his homework, he received a text message from Helga. Nervously, he grabbed it, opened the message and read it.

**Helga: Hey, if your still up for it, you can meet me at my house tomorrow morning to then go to the boarding house.**

Rodrigo simply sighed sadly and thought to himself, _I'm no longer up for it. I shouldn't have offered to go with her._

**Rodrigo: Ya, sure. What time?**

**Helga: 10:45am.**

**Rodrigo: Ok. I'll be there.**

_Oh ya, I'm so regretting doing this for her._ He thought, as he was now starting to experience nausea. This is what happens to him, when he gets extremely nervous about something or when the stress level reaches a boiling point.

Trying to distract himself, he went back to completing his homework for the rest of the evening.

**Saturday morning…**

Rodrigo met up with Helga at her house, who was already waiting outside. He didn't arrive late.

"Morning." he said with little enthusiasm.

"Hey." she replied back. "You ok?"

"Ya, why?" he asked.

"Because you look like crap." she said.

Indeed, by this time, Rodrigo had serious bangs under his eyes. His skin looked not only dry, but as if it had aged a bit. His hair was all over the place, having not bothered to comb it for some days now.

"Gee thanks." he responded back sarcastically. "You don't look too good yourself." he added with a smirk on his face, trying to lighten the somber and burdensome mood that both were feeling.

Helga said nothing and merely smiled at the half-joking remark.

"Ya, I didn't sleep well last night." he began to explain. "It happens to me sometimes. I have an active brain and its difficult to shut it down sometimes." he lied.

Helga didn't buy into it. She knew the real reason why he looked like crap. But frustratingly and sadly, she was unable to help him.

"Ok." was all she said as both teens started walking towards the boarding house.

Just like during their dancing practice, their walk was eerily quiet, much to Helga's relieve. She was busy concentrating on what she was going to say to Arnold and was trying to prevent herself from getting hysterical.

Like Rodrigo, she hadn't been able to sleep well during this past week, nor eaten properly. She also had bangs under eyes and she would have looked just as bad as Rodrigo, but because she was on her way to meet Arnold, she attempted to look presentable for a change. Although still having her two pigtails, she had brushed them after taking a shower. She had been waiting for almost three years for this day, to not only finally see her beloved football head, but to the day where she can proclaim her love for him, again, and attempt to get back together. All of those years of waiting, living day by day, obsessing over it, dreaming of it, clinging on to some desperate sense of hope that she would one day see him, if not hold him again. Well, that day has finally arrived. At any other time, she would have been glad, probably relieved, if not happy. Yet, to her extreme frustration, it's no longer that simple.

_I can't even be happy for his visit._ Helga bitterly thought to herself.

She was severely conflicted between being with Arnold and with Rodrigo. Rodrigo was right beside her, walking with her, supporting her. She could at any moment just reach for his hand and hold it, caress it and perhaps even...kiss him. Yet, she couldn't. She still had strong feelings for Arnold. She still wanted to be with him.

_How did it come to this?_ She thought to herself.

**During Monday to Thursday...**

_Oh, she's sweet but a psycho  
A little bit psycho  
At night she's screamin'  
"I'm-ma-ma-ma out my mind"  
Oh, she's hot but a psycho  
So left but she's right though  
At night she's screamin'  
"I'm-ma-ma-ma out my mind"_

_She'll make you curse, but she a blessing  
She'll rip your shirt within a second  
You'll be coming back, back for seconds  
With your plate, you just can't help it_

_No, no, you'll play along  
Let her lead you on, on, on  
You'll be saying, "No, no"  
Then saying, "Yes, yes, yes"  
'Cause she messin' with your head_

_Oh, she's sweet but a psycho  
A little bit psycho  
At night she's screamin'  
"I'm-ma-ma-ma out my mind"  
Oh, she's hot but a psycho  
So left but she's right though  
At night she's screamin'  
"I'm-ma-ma-ma out my mind"_

During almost the whole week, Helga obsessively listened to Ave Max's song, _Sweet but Psycho._

"I'm sweet, but a psycho. A little bit psycho. At night I'm screaming, 'I'm-ma-ma-ma out my mind'. Oh I'm hot but a psycho. So left but I'm right though" she sang to the music.

Whenever she was in her room, she would perform dance moves, reminiscent of the lyrics she was listening to. Sometimes she would get so into it that she would end up throwing some of her clothes or other things around in a fury. She didn't think she was actually psycho, but she did feel she was going crazy with this situation.

She avoided seeing anyone during the whole week, including Phoebe. She would still attend all of her classes, except history class, to avoid seeing Rodrigo. Once school was over, she would immediately head home, taking steps to avoid seeing anyone. Once she arrived home, she would begin the gruelling task of trying to sort out her feelings.

She would often roam around her room, thinking deeply about her feelings. Yet, she was unable to decide on what to do. Her situation with Arnold had not changed. He was only here to visit, and then he was off again. Yet, she still loved him. Rodrigo was here and although he had yet to give answer, she knew he liked her and was confident what his answer would be. Yet, she was unable move forward with him. It was not fair to be with him while still having strong feelings for Arnold. Whatever confidence she initially had went out the window the second she read Arnold's letter. Suddenly all of her passionate feelings for him came back with a vengeance. It exceeded her feelings for Rodrigo. Yet, her feelings for Rodrigo over the last few months have gotten stronger, so much so that she couldn't easily ignore them as she previously could. She now had to acknowledge them to be a serious rival to her feelings for Arnold.

As she thought about Rodrigo, she now had to contend with the gruelling reality of having inadvertently inducted Rodrigo into this mess. This, she was unable to bear, as guilt started to spread throughout. She would feel her stomach twist and her chest hurt, so much so that she had to rub it in order to diminish the pain. No words were able to describe the amount of pain and guilt that she feeling for having to put Rodrigo through this.

_I'm so sorry, Rodrigo..._she thought to herself as tears started to fall down her eyes, in complete despair. _I just wanted to be...happy!_ She continued to think in anger as she started punching the floor with her knuckles.

"Oh, curse this sourly, ironic twist of fate!" she began to yell as she fell into her one of famous monologues. "Here I am, upon a fork on the road, and I know not which way to turn! To the left lies the path towards my beloved, the one who has always tendered my heart with his warm, football headed smile. And yet, therein lies the same person who left me! Might as well have left me to die on a deserted island! Oh, how I hate him! How I despise him...and yet, I am still bounded by my love for him, for he hath given me what no one else has; love and a place to call home."

Then Helga looked to her right.

"And to the right lies a new potential life with Rodrigo, a new kid on the block that has opened sway for a new hope. For he hath done what no other force of nature had been able to do; to let me live once again! Yet, do I want to let go? Should I let go? What new grips hath this Latino kid bounded me? Do I love him? Nay! Do I like him? Oh, by the sweet aroma of Aphrodite's scent, yes! Oh how glad he makes me when I see him, the hope I feel when I get close. His whiff is both manly but cultured, humanely sweet, yet profoundly stiff. I feel myself buckle under his presence. But alas...oh how the guilt eats up inside me. To think that I brought such a sweet and loving person into my wild and eccentric life, only for him to suffer in it. Oh the cruelty to life! Can not but one person be close to me without being inflicted any harm onto thy body and soul?"

She never wanted this to happen. She didn't expect this to happen. She just wanted to move on, to have some peace. Heck, she was ready! She just never expected Arnold to visit at the worst possible time. She couldn't imagine how Rodrigo must feeling about all of this, about her eccentric behavior. Actually, she didn't need to imagine. She knew actually how he must be feeling; confused, angry, anxious, sadness and hurt.

Becoming increasingly frustrated, Helga started pulling her pigtails. At one point, she pulled her hair so much that she tore a piece of it from her head. Luckily, it was only a small piece.

Then, out of nowhere, a thought occurred; she would write love poems of Arnold. She instantly grabbed a piece of paper and began to write. For almost thirty minutes, she didn't stop writing. In the end, she produced three elegant and loving poems of Arnold.

She then attempted to do the same of Rodrigo, but she almost immediately hit a wall. Nothing was coming to her. For ten minutes, she stared at the blank piece of paper, trying to be inspired to write, but continuously failed. Completely stunned by this, she couldn't understand why.

_Crimeny, why can't I write anything romantic about Rodrigo?! I know that I have feelings for him. I know that I have been constantly thinking about him! Heck, I have even been having day dreams about him. So why can't write anything passionate and poetic about him?!_ She thought to herself.

_Wait a minute! Didn't I just monologue about him about a minute ago? I mean, it's the first time that I have done that about someone other than Arnold. Doesn't that count for something? Of course it does! It's gotta be something! I wouldn't have done it just for any loser!_ She continued to think.

Then, she began to compare the feelings that she had between Arnold and Rodrigo. She realized that they were not the same. With Arnold, her feelings were of undying, passionate love for him. She didn't just want to write love poems about him. Oh no. If she saw him, she wanted to launch herself at him and give him a sweat, yet deep kiss. She didn't just want to see him or smell him; she wanted her hands to feel his entire body. She wanted to French-kiss him, push him towards the wall, tear off his shirt, take her shirt off and bra, then move her hand down into his pants and...well, you get the picture.

But with Rodrigo, it was entirely different. She didn't want to do anything that. Well, just not that passionately. Quite the contrary, she wanted to talk to him, to hold his hand, to be beside him, even gently and lovingly kiss him on the cheek and lips. Instead of ramming him into a wall, she preferred to have a slow dance with him, like that one they had together at the school dance.

_There is nothing passionate about that. It's more...compassionate._ She thought. _But what does that mean?! Does that mean that my love for Arnold is immature, only temporary, while for Rodrigo is more long-term? Why did I skip a step with Rodrigo? Ugh, this is so infuriating!_

By the time Friday came, Helga gave up on trying to sort out her feelings and decided to just focus on having to deal with seeing Arnold for the first time in almost three years. That alone was already stressing her out. As for Rodrigo...

_I'm sorry Rodrigo, but you are on your own. I can't help you...I can't even help myself._ She thought with teary eyes..

**Back in the present...**

Rodrigo for his part was getting increasingly nervous as they approached the boarding house. Yet like Helga, he didn't allow himself to show it in his face.

_Oh man, this is so nerve-wrecking, it's making me want to puke. I just want to end this!_ He thought with extreme frustration.

As they got closer, he realized that Helga did not seem to know what decision to make. She was seriously confused about this whole thing. Rodrigo then came to the realization that if she wouldn't make a decision, then he would have to do it.

Finally, they reached the boarding house. They went up the stoop and knocked on the door. As someone opened the door, a bunch of animals came running out. This time, Rodrigo was prepared and did not trip over them.

"Oh Helga, Rodrigo. Please come in." responded Susie.

"Thanks, Susie" said Rodrigo.

"Everyone is in the living room." she said, as she escorted both teens.

Once they arrived, Rodrigo saw two unfamiliar people sitting on the couch; a man and a woman. Helga knew who they were and instantly smiled when she saw them.

"Helga. It's wonderful to see you again." said the woman as she got up, smiling.

"It's nice to see you too, Stella. Welcome back." Helga replied back as she gave Stella a long and big hug.

She then let go and went to hug the man next to Stella.

"Welcome back, Miles." she said to him as she gave him a hug.

"Thank you, Helga. It's good to see you again." he happily responded back, as he hugged her back.

Rodrigo just stood by and watched Helga greet Arnold's parents. He was amazed at how happy she was to see them, almost as if they were her parents. He realized that judging how distant she was with her family, she must have used Arnold's family as some sort of a substitute. But that didn't make the situation any better for him. If she thought of them as family, why did they leave her here? Did they think of her as family?

After Helga let Miles go, she then introduced Rodrigo to them.

"This is Rodrigo Castile. He's a good friend of ours." she said.

"Rodrigo, it's nice to finally meet you. Arnold has told us a lot about you." said Miles as he shook his hand.

"It's nice to finally meet you as well, sir." he responded back.

"Oh please, no need to be formal here Rodrigo. Just call me Miles." he said with a chuckle.

_Ugh, really!_ He thought annoyingly.

"Ok, Miles." he said. He then turned to greet Stella.

"I take it that I should address you as Stella, ma'am?" he asked as he shook her hand.

"Yes please, Rodrigo. It's nice to finally meet face to face." she replied back with a smile.

"Likewise Stella." Rodrigo responded back.

"Good to see you again, my boy!" exclaimed Phil, as he got up to shake Rodrigo's hand.

"Same here, Phil. You too Gertie." responded Rodrigo.

"Oohh it's so nice having everyone in the same roof again. Nice to see you again Rod." said Gertie

After Rodrigo made his greetings to everyone else, Helga then looked around the room for a bit and then asked, "where's Arnold?"

"He is up in this room taking a shower. He will be done soon." replied Stella.

Helga and Rodrigo both then sat down.

"How was your flight?" Rodrigo asked them.

"Tiring, really. We were working right through that day, only stopping just 3 hours before our flight was scheduled to leave. Arnold was already at the airport waiting for us. The second we arrived, we hopped on the airplane and flew here. Stella and myself dosed right off and didn't wake up until the plan landed. Arnold was awake the whole time. He is really excited to be back." Miles explained.

"This is our first vacation. We have tried several times to book some time to come home, but every time, either something urgent happened, or there was a breakthrough in our research that required us to cancel them. We are just very glad to finally have this time to come home." Stella continued for Miles.

"Phil has told me that you have been hired to help around the house since Christmas?" Miles asked.

"Yes. I needed money to buy Christmas presents, so I was looked around the neighbourhood for a part-time job and I stumbled upon Sunset Arms. Phil interviewed me and after meeting everyone who lives here, I was offered the job and I accepted it." Rodrigo explained.

"I assume you have been liking it, since you still come over to help out?" Stella inquired.

"Yes, I like working here. Everyone is nice and I enjoy all of their stories that they have to tell. Plus, Helga also comes around to help out here, so that's an additional reason to come here." he responded back.

Miles chuckled a bit. "Haha, yes, Phil told me about how you 'found out' that Helga worked here as well. It's very surprising that neither she, nor anyone told you about it."

"It was surprising. Phil and everyone else only mentioned a few times about a second 'helper' being employed here. But I also never asked who that person was. And Helga, well, you know her." Rodrigo explained as he looked at her.

Helga just gave him a smirk.

"Hahaha, yes, Phil said that you are almost as good as Arnold was when he was helping around here." Miles commented.

"Yes, sir. Having Rodrigo around here almost felt like shortman was back here living with us." Phil commented.

"Thanks. Speaking of jobs, I have a question." Rodrigo asked them. "Arnold and Helga have told me that he helps you both out in your jobs. Curiously, what does Arnold actually do? What is his role? He has written to me how he sometimes has to travel with you both to the jungle to collect specimens."

"Arnold is pretty much our helper. Whatever he is able to do, he helps us. He doesn't have a specific role. The specimens that he collects for us are usually plants and certain insects, some of them are seriously dangerous. We had to train him in order to do deal with those. He also helps in cleaning and maintaining the lab, sometimes in helping in conducting some of the experiments. This is not really something that we wanted him to do. He gladly volunteered for the role. I guess he just wanted to spend as much as with us as he could, given the amount of years that was lost." said Miles.

"If I may ask, I can understand if you both were not able to come visit, but why wasn't Arnold able to make the trip, besides for school reasons?" Rodrigo asked.

"Initially, Arnold didn't want go by himself. He wanted us to come with him. I guess he was afraid that we might not see each other again. We tried to reassure him that we have no intention of disappearing again, but he was adamant that unless we come with him, he would not make the trip. Then there were also school reasons. After a while, I guess it just became routine for him to just stay with us and help us at the lab and to go to school. He also started making friends so that kept him busy, until we had to move again. Eventually his anxiety of us leaving slowly replaced with the routine of this type of 'nomadic' lifestyle." explained Miles.

Helga had to swallow hard at the last thing Miles said; about how it was becoming routine for Arnold to continue his new lifestyle, slowly forgetting his old life in Hillwood. Slowly forgetting about his friends, his grandparents...and about her.

"But he still missed everyone back here. He never stopped thinking about everyone, especially you Helga. Unfortunately, there were times when it took its toll. The transition would have been easier had we stayed in one place. Unfortunately our jobs didn't allow it. Arnold had a hard time making friends, and with the constant school change, it interrupted his studies. He eventually had to put his foot down when we moved to San Lorenzo and said that this was going to be his last move. He was no longer able to endure this type of nomadic lifestyle. We understood where he was coming from and we informed our superiors that we will no longer be moving anywhere else."

"Is there a possibility of him coming back to Hillwood to study here?" Rodrigo asked him.

Helga just looked at him with a suspicious look. She wasn't really understanding why he was asking so many questions about Arnold.

_Where is he going with this?_ She thought.

"Unfortunately no, Rodrigo. The school that he is attending is an American-type of school system. And although he is able to use his credentials to any school in the U.S., the school system here will only accept it if he graduates with his high school diploma. They will not accept anything less." explained Stella.

_Damn it!_ Rodrigo thought to himself disappointedly.

After a few more minutes of chit chat, Stella then said to Helga, "Helga, I think Arnold maybe is done. If you want to, you can up and see him."

Helga said nothing and only nodded. Then just got up. Rodrigo also got up and then said to her,

"if you're ok, I would like to stay here until you are done."

"I might be up there for a while." she said.

"It's ok. I can wait." he said.

"Sure." she said stoically, which worried Rodrigo. There was no emotion on her face. She then exited the living room and started going up the stairs.

Rodrigo then sat back down and just sighed.

"You're worried about her?" Stella calmly asked him.

"Yeah, I am. She's been through a lot since Arnold left almost three years ago. I know Arnold must have also had it rough, but at least he had you both." he said.

"I'm sure you know that she is a strong girl. She can take a lot. And besides, if she has you for a friend, then I'm sure that must have helped her." said Miles.

"Thanks, but unfortunately I only met her just last September. I wasn't able to be there for her the two years prior." he admitted.

"Well, you are here for her now and that's all the matters." Miles reassured him with a smile.

Rodrigo just smiled back at him.

"Are you guys close friends?" Stella asked Rodrigo.

"As close as anyone can be with Helga. I've only been friends with her for less than a year but we have become close friends. I'm not her best friend, but I can say that I am fairly close to her." Rodrigo replied back. "What about you guys? Besides Arnold, have you been close to her?"

Miles and Stella took a while before responding to that question. "It's not a simple question to answer, Rodrigo. Since we came back from the jungle, Helga started hanging around this house more often; obviously for Arnold." Stella began to explain. "But as time went by, we started noticing that she had been coming over very frequently, almost as if she was trying to get away from something."

"Her family." Rodrigo commented.

Miles and Stella both reluctantly nodded.

"Yes. Helga slowly began to confide in us about her family situation. There had been occasions when it became 'necessary' for her to stay over for the night. Not for her physical safety. She had told us that she sometimes got into serious arguments with her parents, especially her father, which sometimes prompted her to want to stay over. It was a difficult thing to deal with; having to catch up with our son while also helping out a young girl how was being neglected. But as we got to her know, we also saw the many positive traits in Helga that we love. She is incredibly smart, she a highly independent person; a strong fire that refuses to burn out, really. Despite being young, she can be quite mature, if not wise. In the end, out of necessity, Helga began to see us more as a substitute family. And as she frequented here, we became more and more closer to her. She would often stay for dinner and even attend celebrate holidays with us. Like the other tenants, she slowly became part of the family and we began to embrace her as a daughter." Miles explained.

Rodrigo did not take kindly to Miles' comment on how they embraced Helga as a daughter when they left her at the mercy of her situation. He was seriously contemplating on telling Miles and Stella everything that Helga went through and ask them if they ever even considered in taking Helga with them, as any 'family' would. Yet, he restrained himself. He was going to save such questions for someone else.

Around twenty minutes later, Miles, Stella, Phil and Gertrude had to excuse themselves to get ready to go out. They had arranged to have lunch with each other and it was getting late.

As soon as they left the living room, Rodrigo received a text from Helga.

**Helga: Hey, Arnold said that if you are still here, he would like to meet you after.**

**Rodrigo: OK, sure. I'll stay to meet him.**

**Almost two hours later…**

"Come on, come on. I've almost taken this damn city. I just need one damn battalion to take it." said Rodrigo as he was vigorously playing his World Conqueror 2 on his cell phone.

Just as he was building up his force to take the city of Kiev in Ukraine, he heard someone coming downstairs. He quickly saved his game, closed his phone and started walking towards the stairs. It was Helga coming down.

_Well finally! What the hell were they talking about up there?!_ He thought annoyingly.

As soon as she came down, he asked her, "so, how did it go?"

"It went ok. He is still up in his room waiting for you." she responded back nonchalantly.

"Ok. Miles and Stella went with Phil and Gertrude to have lunch, although that was almost two hours ago. I guess they went somewhere else after." he explained. "Unless you and Arnold have made plans for later today, you can go home if you'd like. You don't need to stay and wait for me." said Rodrigo.

"OK. I'll see you later. And...thanks for coming with me." she said while finally smiling at him again.

Rodrigo felt a bit relieved that finally seeing Helga smile and simply allowed himself to enjoy it during thoser few seconds. He then smiled back and waited for her to leave the house. Once she left, Rodrigo then started making his way up the stairs. As he did so, he couldn't help but realize how much noise this house makes. He shouldn't be surprised though. It is an old house and he did have to help Phil a few times in doing some repairs.

As he continued his ascension, he started feeling eerie, as if he wasn't sure what to expect. Despite Helga not being present, he couldn't help but still feel nervous about seeing Arnold. He was still not thrilled about it, as his hostility towards him had not gone away. Yet, he tried to put such feelings aside and continued to make his way. It was his jealousy acting up and he was not going to allow them to get the better of him.

Once he arrived at the top, he saw the second set of stairs that led to his room. It felt like a long and terrifying journey. For a moment, he hesitated, but then gathered enough strength to continue walking. He past the rooms of the tenants, no doubt each doing their own thing in their apartments. Wanting to procrastinate, he felt like knocking on one of the rooms and speak to them, but it was only delaying the inevitable.

_Just get up there and get it over with!_ He thought to himself. _Sheesh, it's only Arnold. He is not the President or God and he is not going to bite your head off. That's Helga's job. _He continued to think amusingly.

Once he arrived, he started climbing up the second set of stairs. Finally, he reached the top, knocked on the door, and then slowly opened it.

"Arnold?" Rodrigo called out to him.

"Hi Rodrigo. It's nice to see you again." he answered.

* * *

**"It's nice to see you again?" What does he mean by that? Have they met before? Find out in the next chapter.**

**I've also started writing another story, called 'Arnold's Legacy'. It takes places after the events of this story, but there are no spoilers! Check it out and let me know what everyone thinks.**

**Just a few responses to some reviews:**

**Call Me Nettie: The stress it about to get more...intense lol**

**Ezza: Oh ya, the drama has finally begun!**

**UloveME143: I understand your confusion; you're not the only one. **

**Cre8ivelybankrupt87: Thanks! Yes, that is a good parallel between Rodrigo and Arnold. The goals are the same, but the method is what makes them different. Yes, because of the similarities, Helga is taking it slowly with Rodrigo, trying to figure him out and where she really stands**


	29. Chapter 29 - Arnold Visits Part 2

**Hi everyone! So the gang meet up at the boarding house on the same day to have a little welcome party for Arnold. Helga is there and so is Rodrigo. **

**Just another reminder, I've started another story, called 'Arnold's Legacy', which is a sequel to ****Cre8ivelybankrupt87's story, 'The Mitigators' . It takes places after this story and is more or less a continuation of this story.**

* * *

**On Saturday evening…**

After speaking with Arnold, Rodrigo went home to get ready for the welcoming party that was scheduled to start in a few hours. His time with Arnold took longer than he expected. It also didn't help that Helga was with Arnold way longer than he originally thought. Not wanting to get to the party late, he rushed back home and get ready. Helga had already confirmed that she was going with Phoebe, while Gerald was coming with the boys. Although Gerald invited him to go with them, Rodrigo declined the offer, excusing himself that he had errands to run before the party. He lied; he just wanted to come alone. He didn't feel like being part of the group today. Actually, he preferred to be on his own for a while before the party.

Once Rodrigo was ready, he grabbed his fedora hat and jacket and made his way out of his house and back to the boarding house. Despite the cold, it was not far from his house and he wanted to show off his hat to Arnold and everyone else. It was what made Rodrigo, Rodrigo.

Despite having already gone through it, Rodrigo couldn't help but feel nervous again. He really did not know how Helga was going to act at the party. He suspected she will keep her distance from him and be generally quiet. He decided that unless Helga approached him, he would give her some space and let her be. He didn't want to make things anymore awkward than they were between them, much less aggravate her. It suited him just fine, as he wanted to try to actually have fun at the party, rather than be overwhelmingly concerned with this drama.

As he arrived at the boarding house again, he knocked on the door. Miles came and opened the door and let Rodrigo come in.

"Good to see you again, Rodrigo. Everyone is in the living room." He directed Rodrigo.

"Thanks, Miles. Will you guys be staying with us?" he asked.

"No. Everyone, including the tenants is going to have our own little party. We will going for dinner and then have some coffee or something. We wanted to give you kids the house for the evening, so just enjoy." He explained.

"Thanks, I will. You too Miles." He said as he made his way to the living room. Once he arrived, he saw that everyone was already there, including Brainy and an unfamiliar person. Feeling a bit shy, he quickly made his way towards Gerald who was talking to Arnold.

"Hey man. Good to see ya." He said to Rodrigo as he greeted him.

"Same here, Gerald." He replied back.

Gerald then wrapped his arm around him and led to Arnold to introduce him.

"So this is Arnold Shortman; the guy everyone has been talking about since you arrived here." He said.

"Hi, Arnold. It's nice to finally meet you in person." He said.

"Likewise, Rodrigo." Arnold replied back as he shook his hand.

Earlier today, Arnold and Rodrigo agreed to not reveal to anyone that they had already met. Arnold didn't want to draw unnecessary attention to Rodrigo or especially to Helga. So they pretended to say greet each other as if they were meeting face to face for the first time.

"Well now that you finally came to visit, how about later this evening you show me what dancing moves you've learned in San Lorenzo." Rodrigo said to the blonde football head with a cocky smile.

"Sure, I would love to! But I might not be as good as you are. Everyone has been telling me what a great dancer you are." said Arnold.

"Don't sweat it, Arnold. I'll go easy on you." he said.

After chatting with him for a few more minutes, Rodrigo then made his way to greet everyone else. He was curious to talk to this new and unfamiliar person who kept on trying to talk to Rhonda, much to her annoyance. He made his way to Rhonda.

"Hey Rhonda. Love your dress." he said with a smile.

"Thank you Rodrigo." She said with her own smile. However, she then let it drop as was going to introduce him to Curly.

*sigh* "This is Thaddeus Gammelthorpe." She said casually.

"Oh please, Rhonda, no need to be formal. Call me Curly." He said cheerfully as he shook Rodrigo's hand.

"Hi Curly. Nice to meet you. How you know Arnold?" he asked.

"I used to go with everyone to P.S. 118. But after graduating middle school, I went to a prestigious secondary school for the gifted. My area of studies are physics and chemistry." He replied back.

"Given your mental history Curly, I am a little concerned about you taking those courses." Rhonda replied back while not even looking at him.

"Oh, Rhonda. You are so adorable when you care." he replied back with a big smile.

"Don't count on it." she replied back while rolling her eyes.

Rodrigo noticed that there was tension between them, but before he had a chance to ask, Curly already started to answer his question.

"I used to have a huge crush on Rhonda back in the day." he said.

"More like a crazed obsession." She retorted back.

"I prefer to call it passionate love." he corrected her.

"Do you still like her?" Rodrigo asked him.

"Nah. I gave up on that before we went to high school. But I like to 'remind' Rhonda about those times." He said with a grin.

"Ugh." she said back while shivering.

Rodrigo simply smiled at Curly.

"So you're basically a bit crazy." he said to him.

"More like a psychotic little freak." Rhonda retorted back.

"A little bit ya. I'm the kid that is most likely to snap." he said cheerfully. "Isn't that right ma chérie?" he said with a big, flirtatious smile.

"Ugh, doit vous m'agaces?" (must you annoy me?) retorted back Rhonda while rolling her eyes.

"Toujours ma amoure." (Always my love) he replied back.

"Oh, peuvent-vous parler en Français, Curly?" (Oh, you can speak French, Curly?) Rodrigo asked him.

"Malheureusement." (Unfortunately.) said Rhonda annoyingly.

"Bien sur, couramment! Cela ne devrait pas vous surprendre." (Of course, fluently! That should not surprise you.) said Curly.

"Hahaha, vous avez raison!" (Haha, you're right.) exclaimed Rodrigo. "Pour impressionner Rhonda?" (To impress Rhonda?)

"Simplement parce que ce langue est pour les gens que sont cultivé. Il n'est pas pour les troupeaux d'animaux!" He replied back confidently. "Mais oui, aussi pour l'impressionner." (Simply because this language is for cultured people. It is not for herd animals! But yes, also to impress her.)

_Hm, Il avait du lire Friedrich Nietzche. _ (Hm, he must have read Friedrich Nietzsche) Rodrigo thought impressively.

"Je vous aime bien. Vous êtes cool." (I like you. You're cool) Rodrigo said to him while smiling at him.

"Ugh, Je ne suis pas surpris. Un fou pour un fou." (Ugh, I'm not surprised. A crazy for a crazy.) retorted Rhonda.

"Merci beaucoup, Rodrigo! Viens, on a beaucoup de choses a parler." (Thank you, Rodrigo. Come, we have a lot of things to talk about.) said Curly happily as he wrapped his arms around Rodrigo and started walking with him.

Rodrigo quickly looked at Rhonda and gave her a wink, indicating to her that he intended to get Curly out of her hair. Rhonda recognized his intention and quickly gave him a genuine smile and moved her lips to verbalize the word, "merci"

_Quel un gentleman._ She thought to himself. (What a gentleman)

Rodrigo and Curly ended up chatting a bit more throughout the party.

As the party continued, Rodrigo could see just how happy everyone was in finally seeing Arnold again, so much so that everyone was practically ignoring him. He didn't mind though. He was happy that they were happy and happily watched by the sidelines. As he predicted, Helga remained quiet throughout the party, but stayed close to Arnold, casually making small talk when it felt to be necessary.

Just then Miles came to the living room.

"Arnold, we're leaving now for dinner. You guys take care and have fun." he said to his son.

"Sure dad and thanks. Have a good evening." he replied as he waved the adults goodbye.

All the adults then went to the door and left, leaving the teens to continue with their party.

After a few minutes, everyone was still gathered around Arnold who was busy telling them about his time in San Lorenzo. Rodrigo was also in the group, but then left to go get some snacks and a drink, which was on the other side of the living room. Unbeknownst to anyone, one of the tenants came inside.

"So some of the specimens that you collected, did you get hurt?" Nadine asked Arnold.

"Well, there was one plant that touched my skin and it burned. Luckily the sting wasn't lethal, but I had to be off for a few days from helping my parents, just in case."

"Well that's a relief." said Phoebe.

"Oh that reminds me!" Arnold continued. "Have any of you guys ever had the chance to ask Rodrigo where he is from? I asked him in one of my letters but I guess he forgot to answer it."

None of his friends said anything and just shook their heads.

"Helga, do you know?" Arnold asked her.

"Not really." She responded back nonchalantly.

"Rodrigo never did tell us where he is from." Said Sid as he thought. "And whenever we did ask him, for some reason, there was always something that prevented him from answering the question."

"Well, we can always ask him now." said Gerald as he pointed towards Rodrigo. "As soon as he comes back from the snack table, we can ask him and settle that issue."

Just then, Oskar unexpectedly came into the living room and walked towards Arnold.

"Oh hey Arnold, I almost forgot! Here, I wanted to give you this." he said to Arnold as he gave him a gift.

"Oh, thank you Mr. Kokoshka." He replied back as he received the gift.

"Oh, don't sweat it Arnold! It's your Christmas present that I forgot to give you when you came to visit us this past Christmas."

The second Rodrigo heard Oskar mention Christmas, he nearly choked on the snacks that he was having. Indeed, everyone then stopped what they were doing and turned to look to Oskar with a shocking look to their faces.

"Mr. Kokoshka…" Arnold attempted to quiet him, but Oskar continued to ramble.

"Oh you are such a good kid Arnold and you deserve it." he continued as he rubbed Arnold's head

"Wait a minute, Oskar! What did you mean 'last Christmas?" Helga asked with a suspicious look

"What? He came to have Christmas dinner with all of us this past Christmas. He was only here for a few days, but it was great seeing him again. It made it feel like old times." He replied back cheerfully.

Rodrigo and Arnold said nothing and looked at him with horror on their faces.

"No, Mr. Kokoshka…!" Arnold attempted to quiet him again, but Oskar cut him off.

"Oh Arnold, don't be so humble. I actually don't know why you're friends didn't come by to visit you this Christmas. You need to have a talk with them. You are lucky that you have such a good friend as Rodrigo." He said as he pointed at him.

_Oh my God…_Rodrigo thought with abject horror. He was now getting seriously nervous as everyone was now staring at him.

"What?!" exclaimed Gerald.

"That's right, Rodrigo came by on Boxing Day to give us some food from his home country and to see Arnold for a minute. I honestly don't know why the rest you didn't bother to see him as well." He explained.

"Oskar!" Rodrigo yelled at him with a serious angry look on his face.

"What, it's the true, I swear. Anyways, I don't want to further interrupt your party. Enjoy your evening." he said as he then walked out of the living room and then the house, leaving both Arnold and Rodrigo completely speechless and at the mercy of their friends.

Unbeknownst to Oskar, because he has been known to be a pathological liar, as well as using the truth to his advantage, no one had told him that Arnold visiting them for Christmas was suppose to be a secret.

When Oskar left, the party went completely dead. Everyone was looking at either Arnold or Rodrigo.

"Arnold, you got some explaining to do." said Gerald while frowning at him.

"You darn right. What gives, Arnold?! You come here to visit your grandparents but not us?!" exclaimed Stinky with a disapproving look.

"That's right, Arnold. We are your friends, we grew up together. How could you just sideline us like that but not Rodrigo? You've only known him for a few months in a few letters." Sid asked him with a frowning face.

Everyone then started looking at Rodrigo.

_Oh man, I gotta get out of here!_ He thought to himself.

He then noticed that while everyone was close to Arnold, he was far away from them and what's more, he was close to the exit. Helga was right next to Arnold and so thought he would be able to escape the house and leave without her catching him.

*Yawn* "Well this has been a fabulous party guys, thanks, but I'm beat so I'll be heading home. Arnold, nice to see you…" Rodrigo said to everyone with a smile, as he attempted to make his way toward the exit. However, no sooner had he turned to leave when he saw Helga standing right in front of him, blocking his path to get to the exit.

"And where do you think you are doing, bucko?!" she exclaimed with an angry look on her face.

_How in the hell did she get from there to here so fast?!_ He thought to himself shockingly.

"Um, home?" he said with a nervous smile.

"No, you're not! Not until you and Arnold explain to us what Oskar just said!" she yelled at him, as she walked towards him, prompting Rodrigo to take a few steps back.

"Helga, it's not really that big a deal. I-I mean, it kind of is, but it's not…" he attempted to explain but started to stumble with his words.

"Oh, it's a very big deal! You saw Arnold and didn't tell anyone about it. Why did you see football head on that day? I don't buy that whole food bringing thing one bit!" she yelled at him.

"I didn't! I mean, I wasn't supposed to, it was an accident…" he attempted to explain.

"That doesn't make any sense, Rodrigo." Gerald interjected. "How was it that you were not supposed to see Arnold?"

Rodrigo then looked at Arnold, indicating to him to start talking before Helga started pummeling him. Arnold then relented.

*sigh* "Ok Helga, you're right. You guys deserve an explanation." Arnold began.

"Last year, my parents were given a week time off to come home for Christmas. Initially I didn't say anything to any of you because I didn't want to disappoint everyone again in case we didn't go through with it. Unsurprisingly, my parents had to cancel their vacation time, but I was allowed to still go and visit, but only for two days. I wasn't able to stay later, as I had to return as soon as possible to help my parents and also because of school. I was still behind in my studies." He explained.

"I arrived in Hillwood on the night of Christmas Eve and I was scheduled to head back to San Lorenzo on Boxing Day. Because I had no time to see anyone, I kept my visit a secret." He continued.

"When it was Boxing Day, I was already packing my things and almost ready to head to the airport when I heard a knock on the door. I guess out of habit, I went to open it. My grandfather tried to warn me to not to open it but it was too late. When I swung the door open, I saw Rodrigo there…"

**On Boxing Day…**

*knock knock*

*door swings open*

"Hi, can I help you?" Arnold asked.

Rodrigo just stood there, not saying a single word and with wide eyes.

"Um, Yes?" Arnold asked him again with a confused look.

"Arnold?" Rodrigo finally spoke.

"Yes, and you are?" Arnold replied back.

"It's me, Rodrigo Castile. You and I have been corresponding via letters for a few months now." He said. "Gerald and Helga's friend?"

Now it was Arnold's turn to be in shock and to stare at him.

"Oh, Rodrigo! I-I-It's nice to finally meet you in person." He said nervously.

"Oh my god, same here! It's nice to finally meet you too!" Exclaimed Rodrigo excitedly as he shook his hand.

Arnold then quickly opened the door to allow him to come in before anyone else would see him. Once inside, he quickly closed the door.

"What brings you here?" he asked Rodrigo.

Rodrigo was still reeling from actually meeting Arnold unexpectedly. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Neither of their friends have even mentioned of him coming to Hillwood and Rodrigo knew for a fact that if they did know, they would have told him, mostly out of excitement.

_So why is he here and why did he not tell anyone?_ He thought.

"I brought some tamales for everyone here. I mentioned to them about this dish and they asked if I can bring some." he said.

Before Arnold could answer, Phil stepped in.

*sniff* "mmmm, do I smell tamales? They sure smell good!" he said as he approached the doorway.

"Oh Rodrigo!" he exclaimed when he saw him standing there. "Fancy meeting you coming here and bringing us some food…and meeting Arnold…" he said nervously.

Then, trying to lighten the mood, Phil then added. "Well, come on in my boy! And thank you for bringing the tamales." As he escorted Rodrigo and Arnold to the kitchen table. He offered both teens to sit down while he put the food on a few plates.

*sniff* "Ooohh, they sure smell good!" he said. "They don't have any raspberries, do they?" he asked Rodrigo.

Rodrigo just shook his head.

While Phil helped himself, Rodrigo began to converse with Arnold.

"So Arnold, when did you arrive here and how long will you be staying?"

"I arrived here on Christmas Eve at night. I'm leaving today to go back to San Lorenzo."

"Only two days?" he asked.

"Yeah." Arnold confirmed. He then explained to Rodrigo why he had to go back home today.

Phil then gave Arnold and Rodrigo some tamales.

"Eat up boys! Oh, and do give your mother my compliments, Rodrigo!" he said

"Will do Phil." He said.

As the two teens began to eat, Phil then walked out of the kitchen, leaving them alone. Taking the opportunity, Rodrigo then began to talk.

"Arnold, isn't there anyway you can see your friends for a little while? I know they would be thrilled to see you. You can even just say to them that you came here to surprise them."

Arnold just sadly shook his head.

"I'm afraid not, Rodrigo. My plane leaves in a few hours and I can't miss it."

"In a few hours? That's plenty of time! You don't need to stay with them for long; just an hour, or even thirty minutes. Everyone is meeting up at the Hillwood Complex Mall that opened up a few years ago. It'll be great for you see them there!" he said cheerfully.

Arnold simply shook his head again, not even bothering to look at Rodrigo.

"I'm sorry Rodrigo, but I can't." he said more firmly.

"What about Helga?" Rodrigo asked him seriously.

That prompted Arnold to stop eating and raise his head to look at him.

"She hasn't seen you in more than two years. YOU haven't seen her in more than two years. Don't you at least want to see your girlfriend?" he asked him.

Arnold thought about it for a moment as he almost let his mind slip away into the many memories of him with Helga. However, he soon got out of it and reaffirmed his position.

"I wish I could to see her again, but I can't afford to miss this flight. I have no extra money to pay for a second ticket if I miss it."

"Then let me pay for your extra ticket." Rodrigo replied back seriously.

Arnold simply looked at him with a surprised look on his face. He didn't expect him to make such an offer, let alone be this adamant for him to see his friends again.

"That's very kind of you Rodrigo, but I can't accept your offer. That's too much to ask." He said.

"No it's not; not if it means you getting to see friends again, especially Helga. You have no idea how much it will mean to them if you see them for just thirty minutes!" he exclaimed.

Arnold began wonder why Rodrigo was so adamant in having him see his friends, especially Helga.

_Does he know something that I don't?_ He thought.

"What do you mean by 'having no idea how much it will mean to them'?" he asked him.

Rodrigo then realized that he released too much information. Remembering that neither of their friends have told him about what they went through when he left, especially Helga, he quickly thought about a cover up.

"I mean umm… just that they miss you, that's all; as any friend, or in Helga's case, as any girlfriend would." he said nervously. "Well that and they will kill me when they find out that I met you but they didn't. I don't think they will appreciate the irony of the situation." He added.

"That's why you cannot tell them that you saw me today." said Arnold.

"What? Why?" Rodrigo asked him.

"Rodrigo, I only came here to visit my grandparents and the tenants for Christmas. As much as I really wanted to see everyone else, I have no time. This was a last-minute decision and I couldn't tell anyone about it. I barely had any time to spend with everyone here. I know that our friends miss me and they would have really wanted to see me and I too, but unfortunately I wasn't able book enough time. I will have to postpone seeing them for another day." He said.

"You were never supposed to have seen me, which is why you cannot tell them about it. I just don't want them to get upset over this and I don't want them to take it out on you. And I don't need to remind you how Helga will take this if she finds out." he continued.

Rodrigo shivered in fear at the thought of what Helga will do to him if she ever does find out that he saw Arnold but not her.

_She will probably bury me on Elk Island…alive._ He thought jokingly.

"I wish I could see her today," Arnold continued sadly. "but I don't think she would want to see me on such a short notice."

"What? What makes you think she won't want to see you? Is it because of that argument you guys had before you left?" Rodrigo asked him.

Arnold just shook his head.

"No, it's not that." he began to explain. "At least not directly. We haven't seen each other in two and a half years, and the last time we saw each other, we didn't leave on good terms. I'm afraid that if she sees me now, just unexpectedly, I'm afraid it all be a bit...overwhelming for her. And it's not just her. I wouldn't really know what to say if I saw her now. I mean, there are so many things that I want to say to her and I know that she does too. But with such little time, there just isn't any way I would be able to express it to give it justice, much less Helga. It's awkward really to say the least, and I don't want to put her, or us, in that position. That's why if I see her, it needs to be where we can be alone and have a lot more time than just thirty minutes to just talk. There are a lot things that we want and need to say to each other and thirty minutes just isn't going to cut it."

"I know you mean well, Rodrigo." he continued. "And I really appreciate it and I know that Helga would too. I want to her again, I really do. But I hope you can understand why it's just not a good time to see her right now."

As much as Rodrigo wanted to continue to protest, he relented. Apart from the fact that if Arnold didn't want him to tell their friends, then he felt compelled to respect his wish, the blonde football head also had a good point about needing the necessary space and time to see Helga. Rodrigo agreed with Arnold that just having him showing up unexpectedly would be too much for her to take. Heck, he wouldn't be surprised if Helga would just run away if she ever saw him unexpectedly. Who wouldn't? They would end up wasting what precious little time they have just getting her to calm down and convincing her that it wasn't all a dream; it was real. And if that were the case, what would be point?

"Ok Arnold, fine. I won't tell anyone, especially Helga." He said. "But you need to make sure you come back soon and see everyone. They miss you very much."

Arnold smiled at him. "Thanks, Rodrigo. I promise I will come back and visit soon."

**The present…**

Once Arnold finished telling his story, nobody said anything. The entire room was dead silent. Helga simply looked at Rodrigo in complete disbelief with her mouth hanging open.

"Um, Helga? Are you ok?" he worryingly, but softly asked her.

"You hid this from me…" she calmly said to him while still looking stunned.

"I'm sorry, Helga." he said with a sad facial expression on his face.

However, Helga's facial features quickly changed from disbelief to outright anger. Without any warning, she suddenly and aggressively grabbed Rodrigo by his sweater, and started yelling at him.

"You liar! How could you just lie to me like that to my face?!"

"Helga, I said I'm sorry. I just didn't want to hurt or upset you about me seeing Arnold and…." Rodrigo attempted to explain but was cut off by Helga.

"And what?! You thought by lying to me that will make things better? Like I am some kind of a child?!" she continued to yell at him.

"Helga, wait!" exclaimed Arnold as he intervened. "Don't be mad at Rodrigo, it wasn't his fault. I made him promise not to tell anyone…"

"Save it, football head." She interrupted him. "This is between me and my boyfriend."

"Wha-What? B-Boyfriend?" Rodrigo stuttered with a surprised tone in his voice.

"Boyfriend?!" Everyone else exclaimed simultaneously.

_Whoa, this has gotten seriously more dramatic._ Curly thought amusingly.

_Well finally she admits it_. Rhonda thought to herself.

"Bu-but Helga. I-I never gave you an answer..." Rodrigo attempted to explain nervously before Helga again, cut him off.

"Oh, cut the crap Rodrigo! You and I both know the truth. We have been doing this little dance thing for months now. I know that you like me and I like you too. So there is no longer any sense in playing this stupid musical chair game!"

_Whoa, when she wants something, she just goes for it, sheeh!_ He thought to himself. _This is soo awkward right now! I really wouldn't want to be me right now, but I am hahaha!_ he continued to think amusingly, trying anything to stave off this serious awkwardness and emotional stress that he was now feeling.

"Helga, it's not that simple. I mean, yes I like you too, and I was going to say yes, but..."

"But what?" she asked him.

_Because you still love Arnold, that's why! You don't 'like' him, you love him!_ He thought angrily. _Wait a minute! Did she just choose me over Arnold? Did she say yes to me?_

"I don't wanna talk about this here. I really need to talk to you about this in private." he said.

"Don't worry your thick little head about Arnold, if that's what you're worried about. I already told him about us earlier today, so he already knows." She said to him while still grabbing onto his sweater.

"You what?!" he shockingly exclaimed.

Rodrigo then look at Arnold, wanting some assurance, although he was really hoping that Helga was bluffing.

"Yeah, she did." Arnold confirmed with a nonchalant, but somewhat sad look.

_Why didn't this football headed guy tell me this when we spoke? What the hell was the point in me giving him that speech?!_ He thought annoyingly. _No, no, no, no. This is now more messed up than it needs to be!_

"Helga, you should have told me first! Had I known I wouldn't have uh, um...we need to talk about this later." he insisted, while still reeling from the shocking news.

"Fine." she said. "If you want to talk about this in private we'll do that, except the part where you didn't tell me you met football head over there in December and didn't tell me about it!"

Feeling relieved about not having to discuss their feelings in public, he managed to regain some of his assertiveness.

"OK, fine, but let me go first! I told you that I don't like you handling me like that." He exclaimed annoyingly, as he grabbed her hands and firmly yanked them from his sweater.

As everyone else looked on with either shock, horror or just amusement, aka Curly, in their faces, Gerald simply watched by the sidelines, unfazed by the drama. He had seen a lot of this between Arnold and Helga in the past and this was no different for him.

_Hmm, mmm, mmm. Rodrigo, what have you gotten yourself into?_ He thought to himself.

_Ok, I know she is upset about me not telling her about meeting Arnold, but she is seriously making a big scene out of this than it really is! _Rodrigo thought to himself. _I did not expect her to get this upset! I was joking when I thought she would bury me alive on Elk Island._

"Helga, I understand that you are upset, but why are you making a big stink about of this? This isn't really that big of a deal." he said to her.

Helga again simply look at him with a disbelief look on her face.

"Seriously? You really don't know?" she asked him.

_Am I missing something here?_ He thought.

"No, I don't know Helga." he replied back.

"You, out of all people, the Great Philosopher, do not know why I am upset about this?" She asked him with a seriously stunned and disappointed look on her face.

Rodrigo said nothing and continued to look at her with a dumbfounded and confused face.

Helga then simply started rubbing her eyes with her finger in utter frustration.

_I can't believe I have to spoon feed him this!_ She angrily thought.

Then suddenly, she grabbed Rodrigo again by his sweater and pulled him towards her.

"Helga, seriously?! I told you that I don't like..." He began to yell at her but she cut him again.

"You wanna know why I'm upset about this?! Well here is why! I am pissed at you for making a decision that was not yours to make!" She began.

"What are you talking about?" He asked her with a raised voice.

"I am talking about you being selfish, Rodrigo!" She continued to yell at him. "Instead of you coming clean and telling me that you saw Arnold on Boxing Day, like a true friend, you deliberately hid this piece of information from me! I have been waiting for more than two years to see him again and you just happened to 'accidently' meet him. Would I have been furious? Yes! Would I have been hurt? Of course I would have! How else would you have expected me to react?! But what I find infuriating, if not completely disrespectful, is that you hid this information not for me, but for yourself. You only did it so you wouldn't have to deal with seeing me be hurt and upset!"

"And what's more," She continued, "just like Arnoldo over there, you took any decision away from me! Do I like a five year old to you, that you need to make decisions for me?! Instead of treating me like as an equal, you just patronized me and assume that I need to be protected from this news, on the assumption I wouldn't have been able to take it. Well news flash for you, buster! I have been on my own for most of my life, so I can take care of myself and I don't need you or football head to protect me from anything!"

Rodrigo was completely speechless. She stopped talking so he can absorb everything that she had just said.

"I umm...Helga, I didn't..." he attempted to explain, but only succeeded in mumbling his words. It dawned on him that she was right, at least partially. While he genuinely didn't want to hurt and upset Helga with this news, he also knew that his intentions were not 100% altruistic.

_But how was I patronizing her?_ He thought.

"What did you mean by, 'just like Arnold'?" he finally asked her.

While still holding on to him, Helga inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. She then opened them and then let out a breath before explaining.

"One of the reasons why I was so furious at Arnold was not just because he broke up with me on his last day here." she began to say calmly. "When he chose to break up with me on that day, he did it without consulting me. It was a decision that HE made as an individual, not us as a couple; not as a team that I thought we were. I may not have always been the best team player, but Arnold had always known that I am a highly independent person. So for him to do something like that, to make a decision that would have affected us both without even discussing it with me..." she paused for a second, then looked at Arnold with an angry, but sad and hurtful stare and continued. "It's as if he never knew me at all. I never would have done that to you."

Arnold said nothing, but merely look back at Helga with guilty eyes.

"That decision not only took him away from me, but also any small sense of control that I thought I had in my life. It was then that I realized that I had no control whatsoever in my own future. It was decided for me!"

Helga then looked back at Rodrigo and said to him, "And that is exactly what you did to me. You are no better than him!"

Helga then let Rodrigo go and then just crossed her arms in anger and disappointment, all awhile just frowning at him.

Rodrigo for his part, just looked at her stunned, with his mouth hanging open.

_How could I have missed that?_ He thought.

"Helga, I umm...I didn't mean to..." he attempted to say but was unable to gather the right words. He wanted to protest, but he knew he couldn't. "No..." he said.

"No?" she asked him with a confused. "No, what?"

"I mean that I'm not going to make any excuses." Rodrigo began to explain. "You're right, Helga. I'm sorry. Honestly, my intentions were good. I thought I was trying to spare you from any further pain, but that's the point; I shouldn't have. I shouldn't have patronized you. I just care about you deeply that I didn't want to be the cause of anymore bad news in your life."

Rodrigo now understood why Arnold had patronized her in the past. Both cared for her deeply, so much so that they were unable to allow anymore pain to permeate into her life. Both knew what she went through as a child with her parents and they both just wanted to let her live life without anymore disappointments.

Helga was surprised by his confession and for a few seconds, her angry facial expression lessened considerably. However, she was still furious at him for not being able to figure this out himself.

_I thought he was different. I thought he would treat me like an actual adult!_ She thought angrily.

Just as quickly, her angry expression returned with a vengeance and she grabbed his sweater for the third time and starting yelling at him again.

"You damn right you shouldn't have patronized me! I thought you knew me better than that!"

"Helga, it's not that simple. I mean, it's a bit more complicated than that..." he attempted to explain but Helga again her him cut off.

"What is so damn complicated about letting me have some control over my life, about treating me with respect?!" she demanded. "Why couldn't you have just told me that Arnold was here back in December?!"

"Helga, I tried! Arnold was not able see you, or anyone..."

"It didn't seem that you tried hard enough. It seemed more that you trying to cover your own ass!" she interrupted him again.

Finally, Rodrigo lost his patience with her.

"Helga, that's enough!" he shouted at her, as he lifting his arms and slammed onto her hands, forcing her to let go of him.

"How dare you think that way, that I would only care about myself and not you?!" Rodrigo angrily yelled at her. "I feel terrible that out of everyone, I was the one that got to see Arnold! I know how much he means to you and what a serious slap in the face it was that I saw him instead of you. That's why I offered to pay his ticket, for him to see you and everyone, or did you not hear that part?!"

"What would have been the point in me telling you about him when Arnold had a plane to catch? Arnold was already on his way to the airport by the time I was on my way to the mall. There was no time for you to see him, so why I was going to tell you, just you can be disappointed again, be angry like you are now, and berate me?! That's why I kept it a secret, not just to spare you from unnecessary pain, but also because you are damn near impossible to talk to when you are angry!" he continued.

"Tell me this Helga," he continued on. "what exactly were you going to say to him if you saw him on that day? Even if you had an hour, would you have actually gone to see him, or even talk to him? You had a whole week to prepare yourself to see him today, but even with that amount of time, you completely disappeared for a whole week, not talking to anyone and losing your grip before his plane even hit the ground. What exactly were you going to say to him in December? You couldn't even send him one lousy letter during these last two years; good luck trying to talk to him for thirty minutes!"

Helga, upon hearing that, became distraught and visibly hurt. She looked at him in complete disbelief that he just outed something so sensitive out in public like that. After a small pause, she then grabbed her coat, and said,

"Good to see you again, football head." before than leaving the boarding house, slamming the entrance door as she left.

Upon her departure, Rodrigo, out of frustration, and angry at himself for the poor choice of words, growled and started hitting his head on the wall.

"¡Esta mujer!" (That woman!) he shouted. "Helga, wait!" as he attempted to follow her. However, Arnold quickly grabbed his shoulder.

"Let her go, Rodrigo. Just give her some time to calm down." he said to him calmly.

Despite being aggravated of Arnold's intervention, he knew that he was right and headed to his wisdom.

However Phoebe said something to Gerald, then excused herself to follow Helga.

"Let me go see if she is ok." she said.

Arnold nodded, but Rodrigo just looked at her as she left to find her best friend. Rodrigo then turned around to face their friends.

_This is a f****** nightmare!_ he thought angrily.

"If anybody else wants to also chastise me, I'll be sitting on the couch, waiting for you." he called out to everyone as he made his way to the couch, grabbing a Yahoo soda in the meantime. He then sat down and waited for someone to approach him.

The entire living room went completely quiet. None dare say anything about what just happened, not even Curly, who was still amused by the whole scenario. It was quiet for about thirty seconds. Rodrigo just continued to sit on the coach, sipping on his drink and continued to wait for someone else to chastise him.

"Look guys," Arnold finally spoke. "I'm really sorry that I wasn't able to see everyone in December. I wish I could have. I miss everyone and it was really hard for me to come back here, knowing that I wouldn't get a chance see all of you guys. You guys shouldn't be mad at Rodrigo; he did nothing wrong. If you should be mad at anyone, it should be me."

Silence again took over the living room, as everyone contemplated on what Arnold had just said. Then, Gerald approached Arnold.

"Look man, I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't disappointed that you came to Hillwood and didn't see us. But you had your reasons and it was a tough position for you. But you are here now, and I think we should just be glad that we finally have time to hang out with you again, like old times."

Gerald then looked at everyone and said, "Arnold's right; we shouldn't be mad at Rodrigo. It wasn't his fault that he saw Arnold on that day. It was a bad luck of a coincidence. Actually, I could go further and say that we shouldn't even be mad at Arnold. I know we all have been waiting for years to see him again, but we should also think how Arnold must have felt when he came back, knowing he wasn't able to see his friends. In the end, it's irrelevant really. He is here now and that's all that matters." he said as he put his hand on Arnold's shoulder.

Again there was silence in the room for a short while until Rhonda spoke.

"You're right, Gerald. Arnold, Rodrigo, I'm sorry. We just overreacted in you seeing Arnold first before any of us."

"Ya, I'm sorry too, guys" said Sid.

"Me too." said Stinky.

"Ya, I'm sorry too." muffled Harold while he still had food in his mouth.

everyone else than gave their apology.

"So what does everyone say and we continue the party?" Gerald asked everyone.

Everyone nodded in approval, except Rodrigo, who was still reeling in having Helga chew him up in front of everyone. He was now exhausted and had almost no energy left.

"You guys go on ahead. I'm going home. I've had enough drama for one day." he said sadly, as he got up and started walking towards the exit. However, both Arnold and Gerald stopped him.

"Whoa, whoa man; that is exactly why you shouldn't go home. You need to stay here and enjoy the party." said Gerald.

"Yea Rodrigo, come on. We would like for you to stay. You are part of this group too." Arnold added.

Rodrigo was still not convinced. If anything, having to look at Arnold and seeing him so calm after what just happened was irritating, if not angering him.

_Why is he acting so calm after what just happened?_ He thought to himself._ Helga just professed in front of everyone that I am now her boyfriend. Six hours earlier, I told this kid that needed to get back together with Helga, but he is acting as if our conversation never even happened; it's as if he doesn't want to get together with Helga. What gives?_

As much as he wanted to start interrogating Arnold, he reframed from doing it. Arnold had not even been back in Hillwood for two days and already there has been a lot of drama between him, Helga and now Rodrigo and he wasn't going to let this get in the way of friends enjoying his return.

"If you're worried about Helga," Arnold continued, "she just needs some time to calm down for a bit. When she gets upset like this, it's often best to let her be. It was a lot for her to take in one day."

"Ya, Pataki is a strong woman, Rodrigo; she can take care of herself." Gerald added.

As much as he wanted to protest, Rodrigo knew that Arnold knew Helga better than anyone and again headed to his wisdom.

"Ok, fine I'll stay." he said with a weak smile.

As the evening progressed, despite the fighting, Rodrigo began to slowly enjoy himself again, as did everyone else. Nevertheless, he still felt bothered that everyone was enjoying themselves, but none other than Phoebe were willing to at least inquiry if she was even ok. Yet, he knew that it was because everyone, including Arnold, have dealt with Helga's antics for so long that they have gotten used to it.

In addition, he was also bothered by Arnold's calmness. He would have thought that out of everyone, Arnold would have been one of the first to run after her and see if she was ok. Yet, he did nothing of the sort, except remain calm.

_I guess maybe he just wanted to see his friends. He hasn't seen them in years and I guess he didn't want Helga's explosion to ruin things for him._ He thought.

Rodrigo then pushed these thoughts aside and allowed himself to enjoy the night. Tonight was a night to enjoy and welcome Arnold back. Tomorrow he can start stressing out about all of this again. He planned on meeting up with Helga, regardless if she wants to or not, and have their final showdown in order to settle this once and for all.

* * *

**Whoa, major drama here! I guess all of that philosophy stuff goes out the window, as it always done when it comes to love. What will happen next? Find out in the next chapter.**

**Just some responses to some reviews:**

**Guest: ****Gracias! Continua a leer para saber el fin, que viene pronto ;)**

**Ezza: Well, either Arnold's visit will bring them closure, or it will rupture things. We'll find out soon!**


	30. Chapter 30 - The Showdown

**Sunday Late Morning...**

Rodrigo was at home, busy cleaning his entire house. His parents had wanted to do an early spring cleaning and he promised to help them. Grudgingly, his parents chose a date during Arnold's visit. Today the gang had planned to take Arnold to the Hillwood Complex Mall at 12pm. They had no specific time on how long they were to be there, but they assumed they would at least be there for a few hours or so. Because of his prior engagement with his parents, he had informed everyone early one that he will be joining them late, about an hour or so.

As he busily vacuumed the floor, his mind was entirely elsewhere. He was in heavy thought over the drama that had happened last evening at the boarding house. After the party yesterday, Rodrigo text messaged Helga to see how she is doing and if possible, if she was able to talk. Not to his surprise, he never received a response. Today, he still did not receive any response from her, and frustratingly decided to give her some space...again.

_I can't take this anymore!_ He thought angrily. _I need to talk to her, but this woman is behaving like a child! How much more 'space' does she need?! I gave her a whole week to figure out her feelings, but when I want to figure things out with her, she completely ignores me! So selfish!_

As Rodrigo continued vacuuming, the more he thought having to 'give' Helga some space, and thus delaying their inevitable confrontation, the more anxious and angrier he became. At one point, he became so distracted that he was not able to figure if he ended up vacuuming the living room or not.

_Ah crap! Did I vacuum the living room or not?! I can't remember!_ He thought bitterly.

Not wanting to risk it, he frustratingly moved the vacuum towards the living room to vacuum it. Realizing that he was not able to focus, he put his thoughts about Helga aside and just focused on the task at hand. He needed to finish his chores because he was going to rendezvous with his friends.

Twenty minutes later, he felt his cell vibrate. He quickly stopped what he was doing, grabbed this phone to look at it.

_Could it be Helga?_ He thought. _Damn it! It's only Phoebe._

He clicked on the message to read what Phoebe sent.

**Phoebe: Hey everyone, I'm almost at the mall. Unfortunately, Helga will not be joining us today. She is not feeling well.**

As Rodrigo read the message, he instantly got an idea.

_If Helga is not going to the mall, then that means she is at home, away from everyone, away from any distractions. Perfect! I can go to her house and talk to her._ He thought.

He quickly put his cell back in his pocket and hurriedly tried to finish his chores.

**Two hours later...**

It was now a little bit after 1pm, but Rodrigo was finally done. After informing his parents about it, he quickly grabbed his coat, put on his shoes and went outside to go to Helga's house.

He avoided informing his friends that he will not be joining them at the mall until the last minute. He wanted to ensure that neither Arnold nor Phoebe would give Helga any warning of him coming over to her house.

As Rodrigo walked towards Helga's house, he was determined end this drama once and for all. Despite his determination and focus, he was reeling at just how screwed up things have became. Helga's lack of communication had led to serious confusion between her, Arnold and Rodrigo.

_Had she told me first, about me being her boyfriend, rather than Arnold, I never would have given him that speech; I never would have told him to get back with Helga! _He thought to himself. _I must have only confused the poor kid, if not given him some false hope. I can't blame him anymore if he wanted to keep his distance from Helga yesterday._

_But why did she tell Arnold first?_ He continued to think. _Why couldn't she come to me first? Why didn't she ask me about it last week or say anything instead of ignoring me? Wasn't it apparent to her that I wasn't able to give her an answer with the way she was behaving? She must have known that I knew that she must have been feeling confused and overwhelmed by Arnold's arrival. Ugh, seriously, she should have come to me first! Everything is so messed up now!_

As he continued to get closer, his determination started to waver. The more he got close, the more nervous and anxious he became. He knew what he was going to say to her; he had rehearsed it. Yet even his preparation was not helping him be at ease. Even his stomach soon started to hurt and twist. He intentionally avoided eating any lunch. He wasn't hungry at all and he knew he was going to be feeling this way. The news that he was bringing to Helga were not good...but not bad either, at least for her.

Rodrigo continued on walking, despite getting nervous by the second. The cold air was also not helping. It went right to his bones, likes knives piercing his skin and muscles. His heart started to beat fast as he turned the corner where Helga's house was.

Finally, he arrived. He went up the stoop and stood at her door. Just before he knocked, he took out his phone and messaged everyone on their WhatsApp group.

**Rodrigo: Hey guys, unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to make it to the mall. I still have lots of things to do here at home. Have fun guys, sorry.**

Rodrigo then put his cell back into his pocket and then knocked on the door repeatedly.

After a few minutes the door swung open. The person who opened the door, the second she looked at Rodrigo, became instantly surprised and just stared at him with wide open eyes.

"What are you doing here, Rodrigo? Aren't you supposed to be at the mall with everyone?" Helga coldy asked him.

"No. We need to talk." He said firmly.

"Didn't you get Phoebe's message? I don't want to see anyone." She countered back.

"I did get her message, and I don't care if you don't want to see anyone today. We need to talk." He said to her with a serious voice. "I know how you must have been feeling about this, but how do think I have been feeling about this, Helga? You think this has been fun for me? I have been an emotional wreck for more than a week! And now things are more messed up than it needs to be, all because we haven't been communicating with each other! So I don't care if you have the flu or just had an operation, I'm not leaving this stoop until you either let me in or we go somewhere we can talk."

Helga was taken aback by his assertiveness. More so, she was surprised by his confession. She didn't think it was affecting him that much, but then again, she never asked him, nor even bothered to observe his behaviour last week.

_It must have really been bothering him for him to act this way. _She thought._ Plus, he's right; we need to talk about this, and I don't want him to freeze. _

She reluctantly opened the door and moved aside, allowing him to come in.

"Thank you." He said to her as he took off his coat. He then realized that the house was quiet.

"Where's everyone?" he asked her.

"Bob is at work, Miriam is at her AA meeting and Olga is working today." She responded back.

After hanging his coat, Helga directed him to the living room where they can sit down and talk.

As they went inside the living room, Rodrigo felt he was on the verge of panicking.

_Oh man, this is going to be harder than I thought._ He thought.

Already his palms were sweaty, his heart was pounding hard and he was breathing somewhat heavy.

"I think you owe me an apology, Latino boy." She said to him with her arms crossed.

"For what?" he asked her.

"For the things you said to me before I left yesterday." She answered.

"No, I meant what I said back there. I was just out of line. I never should have said those things to you in front of everyone like. That was my fault and for that I'm sorry." He said.

Helga frowned at him a bit for the half-hearted apology. After some silence, Helga answered.

"Fair enough." She said.

"But that's not why I came here to talk to you about." he said to her.

"So what is it that you wanted to talk about?" she asked him, as she sat down on the couch and crossed her legs.

Rodrigo stayed quiet for a while, busy trying to gather his thoughts. This was not going to be easy for him, but he had to go through with it.

"Helga, you should have come to me first before saying anything to Arnold or anyone else about us." He finally spoke but very nervously.

"Why does it matter who I told first? As I said yesterday, I know that you like me and I like you too. And I'd figured that if Arnold was going to know about us, it was best if it came from me." She explained to him.

"It's not that simple as you make it sound." He countered back. He then sat down on another couch, facing her and started rubbing his chest; it was hurting him.

"I didn't know if you still wanted to be with me." He continued.

"I gave you a big clue almost two weeks ago, doi. You and I danced together and I took off my pink bow for you, which you noticed. Wasn't that an obvious sign?" she asked him calmly, while raising an eyebrow.

"That was obvious, but your behaviour the week after that went against that. After we found out about Arnold coming to visit, you completely disappeared on us. You refused to speak to even see me." He explained.

When Helga said nothing back, he continued.

"I'm not an idiot, Helga. I know you isolated yourself during that week because you started having second thoughts about being with me. I know that with Arnold visiting, everything got so confusing for you. I don't blame you for needing to sort your feelings out, but you need to understand how I took your behaviour; it wasn't good news. Nevertheless, I respected your wishes and didn't bother you. But I used your behaviour during that week as a test. I'd figured the longer you remained isolated and refused to talk to me, the more bad news it was for ...'us'. As the days went by, I started being more and more convinced that perhaps you regretted confessing your feelings for me."

"I wanted to talk to you about it, but I knew that you had your own issues to deal with, so I remained on the sidelines, waiting for you to give me some sort of clue that you were either ready to talk, or give me an answer if you still wanted to be with me or not; but you never did. When Saturday came and you still didn't seem willing to talk to me, I came to the conclusion that you were trying to make it easier for me; that you made the mistake of telling me your feelings about me and you didn't want to have anything to do me."

"Where are you going with this, Rodrigo?" she asked him with a concerned voice.

By now Helga was also starting to get nervous. Her own heart was now beating fast and her palms were starting to get cold. She didn't like where this was going.

"Just hear me out, please." He said to her. "The cards on the table, Helga. I like you...a lot. I confess. I want to be with you. I've been feeling like this for some time, if not months. Every day I go school, the first thing I want to see is you. My answer to you was initially going to be a 'yes'."

Helga smiled a bit, feeling relieved to have finally heard that his answer was a yes.

"But after you isolated yourself, I started thinking and perhaps I am not best person you should be with." He continued sadly.

That made Helga's smile disappear.

Rodrigo felt a serious pain in his chest when he said that, so much so that he had to stop talking for a second.

_This is really hurting._ He thought.

"That's why when I saw Arnold yesterday afternoon, I told him to get back together with you."

"Come again?" she asked him with a firm voice as she shot up from the couch.

"I told Arnold on Saturday, when I saw him, to get back together with you." He re-stated his sentence.

"Why would you tell him that? What exactly did you say to him yesterday?" she asked him with a raised voice.

**Yesterday... Saturday late afternoon...**

"Hi Rodrigo. It's nice to see you again." said Arnold as he got up from his desk chair to shake his hand.

"Hi Arnold. Good to see you again as well." He replied back as they shook hands.

Arnold then directed him to sit down on the couch while he sat back down on the desk chair.

Arnold hadn't changed since his youth. Deep down he was still the same person as he was when he was 11 years old. He now wore blue jeans with black shoes, a green T-shirt with a red-striped shirt over it with buttons. His hair was mostly the same. His voice had change, being a bit more masculine since reaching puberty. Due to having reconnected with his long lost parents, he no longer wore his distinctive little blue hat, but has stored it in his room in a box.

"Hey, are you ok Rodrigo? You look...exhausted." Arnold asked him, taking notice of his fatigue.

"Hmm? Oh ya I am, thanks. I'm just a bit tired. I have an active brain and it gets difficult sometimes to shut it down at night. Plus, I read a lot at night, so that doesn't help." he lied, although the second part was true.

Unlike Helga, Arnold bought into the lie.

"Oh, I see." he responded back.

"Well, welcome back...again." Rodrigo said to him jokingly.

"Thanks, Rodrigo. It's good to be back, for real this time." said Arnold.

"Excited about seeing everyone later today?" he asked Arnold.

"Oh yes, I can't wait!" He replied back happily.

"I umm...I don't want to ask any personal questions, but how was your meeting with Helga just now?" Rodrigo asked him shyly.

"It went ok. When she came up, it was obviously a bit awkward. We haven't seen, nor spoken to each other in years. We hugged each other, then sat down and slowly started talking." he explained. "We managed to catch up on a lot of things, but as you know, we couldn't put almost three years of storytelling into two hours. We have the rest of the week to catch up, so there is still time. It was great seeing her again though, I missed her."

"That's good. I'm glad things went well." he said.

"And thanks for coming with her for support. I know that meant a lot to her and for me." he said.

"For you as well?" he asked.

"Ya. She told me that you coming with her helped her calm her down a lot. She said that she would have gone crazy if she came here on her own, which probably would have made things more...awkward when she saw me." he said with a bit of a chuckle.

Rodrigo simply nodded. Wanting to change the subject, Rodrigo wanted to ask him about something that Arnold had mentioned in one of his letters.

"Hey Arnold, you mentioned in one of your letters that you have been finding San Lorenzo to be 'liberating'. What did you mean by that?"

"Well, for the first time in two years, I was finally able to make long-term connections with people." Arnold began to say. "For the past two years, it had been very hard, much harder than I originally thought. The constant moving and traveling prevented me from making any friends or acquaintances. I had my parents for company, but ultimately that wasn't enough and I started feeling very alone. Apart from my parents and writing letters for everyone here, I had no one else to talk to. I wanted to have friends and I wanted to go out and have fun, like I used back here. I started getting really homesick and was considering in returning back to Hillwood. Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore and after they told me that we will be going to San Lorenzo, I told my parents that this was going to be the last time we moved. I wasn't going to keep on doing this forever. I honestly don't know how my parents were able to take this, but I eventually couldn't. I told them that if they had to move again, I was coming back to Hillwood, but I made clear that despite my homesickness, I did not want to leave them. I still wanted to stay with them, but if they had to move again, I wasn't going with them this time. My parents could tell that I was being very serious about it and it was hurting me a lot at the possibility that I may have to leave them again. So they spoke with their supervisor to see what could be done and they got the approval that we could remain in San Lorenzo indefinitely. Naturally I was jumping for joy at the news and so I went with them."

"And these 'long-term connections' that you made there?" Rodrigo asked him.

"Well once school started, I slowly started making friends." he explained. "Eventually my homesickness disappeared and I started to look forward to hanging out again. I still very busy with school work and in helping my parents, but in this case, us having to go to jungle actually made things better."

"How?"

"In order to get to the jungle, we had to make local stops at certain villages or small towns. In some of these settlements, there were non-profit organizations that were helping the locals. My parents and I would sometimes help them if they need extra hands, or if wanted them to do us favours, such taking us to a particular area to collect specimens. Eventually, I started making connections and friends with either the locals or with some of the personnel there. So in a way, I ended up making friends in the capital and in some of these settlements. Eventually, not only did I no longer feel alone, but it actually became fun. It's kind of like going to your friends' houses every so often. So I guess it felt 'liberating' because I began to feel that I actually belonged somewhere."

"Mind you Rodrigo, that didn't mean that I didn't miss anyone here. I still did, but it became much more tolerable." he continued.

Rodrigo was taken aback by Arnold's story. He was surprised that Arnold lasted two years in being hurdled from city to city or country to country without a friend beside him without going crazy. He was even more surprised that despite feeling homesick, he still stubbornly refused to come back to Hillwood without his parents."

_Why is he so attached to his parents?_ He thought to himself.

"Arnold, I know this may sound like a dumb question, but I need to know; why did you choose to go with your parents? Even after you were seriously experiencing homesickness, you still refused to come back to Hillwood, unless as a last resort. Why?"

Arnold looked a Rodrigo for a bit before he began to think carefully on how he was going to answer his question.

"Rodrigo, I don't know if you know what it's like to grow up without your parents." Arnold began to explain. "Up until I was twelve, I thought I was an orphan. I never knew them personally. I was never even able to understand why they left. Yes, based on my dad's journal I found the reason why they had to go; to help with the sleeping sickness that were affecting the Green-eyed people. I know it was for a good cause, but I wasn't able to understand why they felt that going there was more important than being with me. I know it's kind of selfish to think that way, but I couldn't help myself. I just wanted to know."

"A few months before the fifth grade ended, I started having nightmares about my parents. I would be in my own dream, trying to find them and when I do, they would then to disappear or go off another mission. I didn't have these every day, but they were frequent. The thing is, even after we found my parents and brought them home, I still had these nightmares. I would always wake up, feeling terrified if the nightmare I had was real or not. I'm not sure why, but I guess it might have been because I was just so scared of losing them again. Every time I had these nightmares, I had to go and see them just to be sure that they were still here with me. That's how scary and real they were to me. You can imagine how...stressful that was."

"Did our friends know about this?" Rodrigo asked him.

"Ya, I told them, including Helga." Arnold confirmed. "They tried to help out, but there wasn't much that they could do. Anyways, after many months, the nightmares finally stopped and things started getting back to normal. It became an everyday habit to have my parents here at home."

"And then what happened?" Rodrigo asked him.

"About 3-4 months before the end of the eighth grade, my parents gave me the news that the pharmaceutical company that they applied to work for accepted them." Arnold explained. "They were obviously very happy about it because they essentially were going to do the same type of work that they had always done. But there was a catch; they had to leave Hillwood and constantly move around. When they told me that part of the news, I was angry at them. I didn't take it very well and got really upset that they were considering in leaving me again. I even accused them of them not loving me enough for them to stay here with me."

Arnold paused for a while as he recalled the memories of those months with bitterness and sadness.

"Soon after the news, the nightmares returned." Arnold continued. "Worse still, I started getting really anxious about the whole situation. It was really getting to me. I tried to forget about it and move on with my friends and school, but nothing worked. The closer we got to the date, the worse my anxiety became. I had trouble sleeping, there were times when I rarely ate and it got to a point where I stopped hanging with our friends. Eventually, I made the decision that I couldn't let me parents leave again without me. I wanted to go with them. At first my parents were reluctant, but I was insistent. I told them that I couldn't bear to see them go again. They eventually agreed."

"Where was Helga in all of this?" Rodrigo asked him.

"Where I needed her to be; beside me. She was the one I told first about the news. She also got a bit upset about it." he explained with a chuckle. "She complained about what had been the point in going to San Lorenzo and almost getting killed, only for them leave again. Once she saw how the news was taking its toll on me, she tried everything to comfort me. She would always walk home with me from school, sometimes she stayed over and we would work on our homework and talk. She would go the movies with me or even force me to come out and play with everyone. Sometimes she would even make a few jokes here and there just to get me to smile."

"Helga told jokes?" Rodrigo jokingly asked while smiling.

Arnold chuckled a bit

"Ya, she did. Some of them were actually funny. I know it must have bothered her as well, if not annoy her, but she never protested. She just concentrated on helping me out, as any girlfriend would."

Rodrigo smiled at the thought of Helga attempting to help out Arnold during that difficult time. It was moments such as these when Helga's caring and nurturing side came through. Despite being a difficult, cynical and sometimes uncaring person, deep down, she really did care for those she was close to.

_She really does love him..._Rodrigo thought.

However, Rodrigo's smile soon gave way to a serious facial look.

"But that wasn't enough, was it?" Rodrigo remarked.

Arnold sadly just shook his head.

"When I made the decision that I wanted to go with my parents, I told Helga about it first. To my surprise, she didn't get as upset as I thought she was going to. It's as if she already knew that was I going to make this decision and she had already prepared herself for it. But I could tell in her eyes and the way she was behaving that it was affecting her."

"She told me that you guys initially agreed to continue being in a relationship." Rodrigo remarked.

"Yeah, we did. I guess that's why Helga was able to tolerate it, she at least still had me."

"So then why did you break up with her?" Rodrigo asked him.

"Because I love her." he responded.

"What?" Rodrigo asked him.

"I broke up with her because I love her." he repeated himself.

"You care to explain that a bit? That doesn't make any sense." Rodrigo remarked.

*sigh*"Everyone knew that the move was permanent; I wasn't going to come back. So what good did it do for Helga to still be in a relationship with me if I couldn't even be physically there for her? How long was she going to wait? How long must she wait? Initially, I agreed to continue the relationship because I cared about her deeply and I didn't want to let her go. But as the date for the move got closer, I got thinking that this might have been good for me, but perhaps this wasn't the best for her. I mean, she would have to wait 4-8 years before I got back. You and I both know that she wasn't going to move on while I was still together with her. She was going to wait for me. She was going to be put her entire life on hold until I came back. I didn't feel it was fair for her to do that. I still wanted her to have a life here, to be able to have some sort of happiness and to still enjoy things. But I knew that she wasn't going to be able to do that, so long as she was still with me. She has loved me since she was three years old. I am basically her entire life. I couldn't do that her. I couldn't ask her to wait for me just because I wanted to still be in a relationship with her. I felt I was being selfish if I asked her to wait."

Arnold paused for a minute, trying to prevent the past, hurtful memories getting the best of him.

Meanwhile, Rodrigo watched with sadness as he took a look at Arnold's facial expression and noticed just how painful his decision to break up with her was. It wasn't an easy thing for him to do, but he felt he had to do it for Helga's sake.

"So I broke up with her in the hopes that she would, not forget me, but would be able to move on and find some happiness outside of me." he continued.

It was then when Rodrigo finally decided and made his move.

"She didn't move on Arnold, even after you broke up her." said Rodrigo calm but sadly.

"What?" Arnold asked him.

"You really have no idea what she went through, do you?" he asked him.

Arnold shook his head. "She never told me. I know she took it hard, but how much, I don't know."

"She never moved on. She still waited for you regardless, hoping to one day to be with you again." said Rodrigo.

It was right then that Rodrigo decided to reluctantly tell Arnold everything that Helga went through because of the break up; the depression, her anger, her isolation, her attempt to hurt herself, even telling him how she lost her interest in writing. He explained to her that during these last years, Helga had been seriously struggling with a nihilistic life, having to wake up every morning to a life with no purpose, no meaning, not even love in her life. He told Arnold how distant she became with everyone and it was only because of meeting him that she only recently started to get out of her shell.

Since he first arrived at the boarding house, Rodrigo had been struggling internally about whether or not tell Arnold. He felt he needed to know about what happened, but that also meant betraying Helga's trust, which bothered him greatly. He knew that if he told Arnold, he would be putting his friendship with Helga at risk. Yet, after hearing Arnold's story and why he broke up with her, he made his decision; he chose, if needed, to sacrifice his friendship with Helga in order to give them a chance to be together again.

Rodrigo initially was also going to tell Arnold how rough their friends also went through since he left, but at the last moment, he decided against telling him that. Rodrigo felt that would be overwhelming to him and unlike with Helga, Rodrigo was not willing to give up his friendship with the gang.

After Rodrigo finished telling Arnold, the blonde football head stood completely motionless. He looked like he'd seen a ghost. For a moment, it looked like he was going to faint, but he never did. Then, he just lowered his head and leaned against his hands, while rubbing his forehead and eyes.

_Helga, why didn't you tell me?_ Arnold thought sadly to himself.

"I'm sorry I told you, Arnold. But you needed to know." Rodrigo calmly told him.

"No, it's ok Rodrigo. Thank you for telling me." Arnold said to him.

"I just can't believe she didn't tell me about any of this." he continued.

"Helga didn't say anything because she didn't want to make things worse for you." Rodrigo explained. "She knew this was a tough decision for you and she didn't want her baggage to become yours."

Arnold, out of frustration simply rubbed his forehead and pulled his blonde hair.

"Ugh, I don't know how to feel right now. I feel a combination of shock, anger, but also extreme guilt. I'm conflicted. I wish I had known sooner, I would have done something!"

"Like coming back to Hillwood?" Rodrigo asked him.

Arnold shot his head right up and looked at Rodrigo for a moment. He then just nodded in agreement, albeit reluctantly. He wasn't sure if he would have actually returned to Hillwood, but it was definitely a possibility.

"That's why I'm telling you this; so you can get back together with Helga." Rodrigo finally revealed his reason.

"What?" Arnold asked him with a confusing look on his face.

_What does he mean by 'getting back together'? I thought he and Helga were together now. Doesn't he know?_ He thought to himself.

"Arnold, do you still love her?" he asked him.

Arnold remained silent, still unsure of what to make of this. But after a few moments, he nodded.

"I've never stopped thinking about her." he said. "After I left, it was really hard to cope with her never answering any of my letters. I never knew how she was doing, what new interests she picked up or if anything interesting or serious happened in her life. It's as if she disappeared and not me. But I knew she didn't answer them because she was angry and hurt for what I did. So I decided to not say anything to her until she was ready."

"It's true that she initially didn't send you any letters because she was angry at you." Rodrigo admitted. "But after that subsided, she never sent any because she saw no point in doing so. Sending any letters would have only reminded her that you were far away from her, and she wasn't able to deal with the reality. She was already living it, she didn't need any further reminders; it was too painful for her."

Again Arnold said nothing and simply looked down on the floor, in complete despair. His usual calmness and optimism were quickly giving way towards anger and utter frustration. He had no idea how hard she took it. Even their friends wouldn't or couldn't say anything because they themselves had little idea how she was taking it. He was left completely in the dark.

When it became apparent that Arnold was not going to say anything, Rodrigo decided to say something else.

"Helga loves you Arnold, she has always loved you. Despite you breaking up her, she still chose to wait for you." Rodrigo said to him. "She has been waiting for you for almost three years to come back to you."

After a few more moments of silence, Arnold finally spoke again.

"Breaking up with her was the worst mistake I've ever made. Not just for me, but also for her. I missed her a lot and not speaking to her for years sometimes proved too much to bear. I thought I was doing the right thing for her. It wasn't fair to get her hopes up when the moving was permanent and she and I knew that she wouldn't be able to cope with the constant moving. It would have just led to more arguing."

"That's why you need to come back to Hillwood." Rodrigo remarked. "Despite your 'adventures' and time spent with your parents, I know you are homesick. So come home."

Arnold simply shook his head, still frustrated over what Helga had to endure.

"I admit, I missing seeing everyone, but I can't home come."

"Why not? Because the U.S. will not accept your high school credentials from San Lorenzo?" Rodrigo asked him with a bit of surprise.

"Ya. I'm pretty much stuck there until I graduate." Arnold responded..

"Then at least get back together and be in a long distance relationship!" he exclaimed to Arnold.

Arnold was now even more confused than ever. He wasn't sure what had transpired between Rodrigo and Helga prior to his arrival, but his talk with Helga just minutes previously made it very clear to him that Helga really liked Rodrigo and she wanted to be with him. To the surprise of both Arnold and Helga, she confessed to Arnold that she had developed feelings for the Latino kid and she told him how almost two weeks earlier, she gave him a strong indication of her feelings for him. She told Arnold that although Rodrigo had yet to give her an answer, she knew that he also liked her and was confident that his answer was going to be a 'yes'. She only had to wait before she can finally be with him. Arnold for his part, was disappointed and hurt that Helga had found someone else, but he knew that he couldn't' blame her for that. After all, this was what he hoped for her; to move on and be with someone who can make her happy. Despite the bitterness, he nevertheless was happy for her and gave her his blessing to be with Rodrigo.

Now all of that was falling apart, as Rodrigo was telling him the complete opposite; for him to be with Helga. He was completely confused as to why Rodrigo would tell him this after Helga indicated to Rodrigo her feelings for him. For a second, he thought about telling Rodrigo what Helga had told him, that she was still waiting for him to respond to her. He thought about telling him that Helga had already made her decision; she wanted to be with Rodrigo. However, after talking with Rodrigo and him practically giving his 'blessing' to re-establish a relationship with Helga, he reframed from telling him anything. Despite feeling the guilt of hiding this information from him, he was now also struggling with his own feelings and desire to be with Helga again. He had missed her terribly during his absence and he wanted her back; perhaps now was his chance.

Rodrigo for his part, no longer had any doubt in his mind as to who Helga should be with. Granted, his confidence in Helga possibly wanting to still be with him was sliding away as the days went by. Even at the last moment, while he and Helga were walking to the boarding house, he still clanged onto some desperate hope that she may still want to be with him. But after having to endure her silence and isolation for about a week, his confidence eventually gave out. If anything, he started getting the hurtful idea that the reason for Helga's isolation and silence was an indication to him that revealing her feelings for him was a mistake and she didn't have the heart to tell him directly. But what really convinced Rodrigo to support the effort in Helga and Arnold reestablishing their relationship was Arnold.

_Wow, for many months I had to listen to our friends about the reasons why Arnold decided to go with his parents instead of staying in Hillwood. _He thought to himself_. All this time I thought Arnold just had some bad but 'childish' attachment issues_._ I knew he had emotional and psychological reasons as to why he wanted to be close to his parents, but I never thought it was justifiable enough for him to choose his parents over Helga. I mean, he was just fine when he didn't have his parents, so why couldn't he do it again? I never knew just how serious they were. It does justify his actions and I understand now why our friends and Helga never put up a strong defense against him leaving. They understood him where he was coming from!_

This conclusion allowed Rodrigo to withdraw any lasting grudges against the football head.

Even more so, Rodrigo was a bit surprised that despite it being more than two years, Arnold clearly still had feelings for Helga. This was not something that he was able to ignore. If anything, it further proved his assumption that Arnold and Helga were destined to be together.

_They had been through so much together that it would be completely wrong of me to interfere and break it up now. _ He thought to himself. _I...I can't do it. Here is Arnold, who just told me that he still has feelings for her and regretted breaking up with her. How could I not allow them to be together? They have this incredible bond that everyone else would kill to have. I can't take that away from them. I know Helga would be happier with him than with me. It has to be done, even if it hurts me..._

"It's not too late, Arnold." Rodrigo said to him. "She is still waiting for you and you still love her, so why not get back together again? At least if you did, that will give her something to look forward to in the future."

Arnold, still struggling between his heart and his conscience, said nothing.

"But it needs to be made clear, " Rodrigo continued. "if you decide not to get together again, then you need to let her know now that it is completely over between you two. Whatever hope she still has, you unfortunately must end it. She cannot keep doing this; clinging to this obsessed hope that she will one day reunite with you. She needs to move on, Arnold. She needs to be happy, she deserves it. No more hanging around, it is now or never."

Arnold, while still confused and still struggling with his conscience, wanted to at least ask him this question,

"I know you care about Helga, Rodrigo, but why are you telling me all of this? I mean, why are you so adamant in getting us back together? Even on Boxing Day, you offered to pay for my flight if I could see Helga for only a little while. Why?"

"Because you two deserve to be together." Rodrigo responded back. "Look at you two! It's been more than two years, and yet you both are still reeling over the breakup. You both are still in love with each other. You've never gotten over each other! When does that happen? Never! Only in the movies, but what you two have, it's real! You never should have broken up with her Arnold, even if you did it for her sake, which I commend you. I'm not criticizing your decision, but I don't think it was the right one."

Arnold remained silent throughout and was amazed at Rodrigo's resolve to get them back together. Indeed, he was in awe of his ability to put people's needs before his. Arnold knew Rodrigo was essentially sacrificing his chance and his happiness to be with Helga.

"You've given me a lot to think about Rodrigo. Let me sleep on it. I promise I will talk to her about this before I leave."

"I'm sorry to have put all of this on you during your visit. I know you just came here to visit everyone after more than two years and this is the last thing that you wanted, but you needed to know what Helga went through. You needed to know that it's still not too late to be with her again. I felt you deserved to know."

"No, you don't need to apologize Rodrigo. Thank you for telling me. You are truly a good friend and I'm happy Helga met you. I'm happy my friends met you." he said while smiling at him.

Rodrigo tried to smile back at him while saying, "Thanks Arnold."

**Back in the present...**

Helga just stared at Rodrigo with her mouth hanging open, in complete shock and with a fury. For a while, she said nothing, completely stunned by the turn of events.

_Rodrigo was right, everything is so messed up now than it needed to be!_ She thought.

"You idiot! Why would you tell him that?! How could you tell him that without talking to me first?!" she screamed at him as she got up and gave him a serious scowling face.

"How could I talk to you when you made it explicitly clear that did not want to talk to me?!" he yelled back at her. "You wouldn't even return any of my text messages!"

She then, for the fourth time in less than a day, grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him close to her.

"Of course I didn't want to talk you or anyone!" she continued to yell at him. "I'll admit it, I was conflicted and I feel terrible for putting you into this position. So I avoided you until I was able to figure things out. I didn't want to make things worse for you! But that didn't mean that you should just assume and take things into your own hands like that! You didn't really know if I was going to choose you or Arnold. You were just assuming! Why don't you grow some backbone and actually confront me if you needed to, like how you did just now?!"

"How do you expect me to confront you when you always lash out at me like how are you doing now?!" he yelled back at her. "I can't talk you like a calm person. And besides, I didn't want to make things worse for you!"

"I have anger management issues, Rodrigo! You should already know that. Deal with it!" she scoffed at him. "And how DARE you tell him of the things that I went through since he left! I confided that in you. I trusted you!"

Despite hating being handled like this and his anger, Rodrigo realized that their yelling was getting them nowhere and this was not making things easier for him. This was a very delicate topic for both of them and he didn't want to ends things sourly.

_I'm tired of this. I'm tired of always yelling at each other. I have to remain calm, at least today. She's right, she's the one with anger management issues and it doesn't do us any good if I just yell back at her. Plus, she has every right to be upset; I betrayed her trust. Even if I did it for her, I still betrayed her._

Taking the initiative, he released his frowning face and calmed down before responding again. By this time, Rodrigo was also visibly showing just how bad he felt for betraying Helga's trust. He knew he would be in serious trouble if he did and he knew it could result in their friendship ending right here and now. But he calculated the risks and felt that it was worth it...for her.

"I know I betrayed your trust, Helga." he said to her calmly. "And I'm sorry for that, I really am. The last thing I ever wanted is to hurt you."

"But Arnold needed to know, Helga." Rodrigo calmly continued to tell her. "He needed to know just how badly it was for you. There's no shame it; you were hurting. It would have hurt anyone. I know you didn't want to make things worse for him, but he needed to know that his decision to break up with you was a serious mistake; for you and him."

Helga, despite seeing how hurt he was for betraying her trust, remained unsympathetic. She continued holding on to Rodrigo while still giving him a scowling face.

"If anything," Rodrigo continued to talk. "me betraying your trust is just further proof that I'm not the best person for you to be with."

"Rodrigo, what in the hell do you mean that you are not 'the best person to be with me'?! Do you have some dark secret that you haven't told me yet? Did you kill anyone?" she asked him fiercely.

"What? No!" he replied back.

"Do you sell drugs? Ever been to prison? Ever raped anyone?" she continued to interrogate him.

"No, no and hell no! What's wrong with you?" he asked him with a dismayed look.

"Then what did you mean by that?!" she yelled at him frustratingly.

"Do you love me?" he asked her.

"What?" she asked him with a shocking look of on her face. That question finally calmed her down a bit. "W-What does that have to do with anything?"

"It has everything to do with it, Helga. Do you love me?" he asked her again.

Helga was now speechless and stunned. She knew where he was going with this and she was dreading it. Yet, she didn't know how to answer him and for a short while remained quiet.

"R-Rodrigo," she nervously said to him. "It-It's too early for you to ask me that."

"I know it is, but I needed to hear it. I know you like me, I don't doubt that. But that's just it; you only like me, and I know that you still love Arnold." he said to her.

If Helga was stunned before, she was now in utter shock. She began to feel losing her grip on both him and on herself. She felt her knees weaken, making her struggle to remain standing up. Slowly but surely, she began to loosen her grip on his shirt, but reframed from completely letting him go.

"R-Rodrigo listen," she finally began to say something to him, albeit very nervously. "Yes, I still have feelings for Arnold, but I never would have confessed my feelings for you if I wasn't sure that I would….eventually…let him go. I mean it will take time but…"

"Helga," Rodrigo cut her off as he gently held her hands. "You don't need to explain anything to me. I already knew that you still have feelings for Arnold, even when I initially decided I was going to say 'yes' to you."

"So, you don't want to be with me because you don't trust me?" she asked him.

"I can't be with you when your heart beats for someone better." He replied back as he started to gently caress her hands.

Helga started to breath heavily now. Seeing that she was still in shock and worried that she might collapse, he gentled moved her back to the couch and sat her down, while still holding her hands. He allowed himself to caress her hand a bit; it was the first and only time he will ever get to hold her hands in an intimate way and he wanted to at least feel the sensation, feel of what could have been...

"Rodrigo," she attempted to explain. She took a deep breath before continuing. "It's not that simple. I-I mean yes, I still have feelings for Arnold and they are strong, but that doesn't mean that my feelings for you are fake or not important. Why do you think I avoided you all of last week? I wasn't trying to figure out if I liked you or not. I already knew that I did. I have known that for months now. I was trying to ensure that I was not getting you involved just so I can discard you later. I wanted to make sure that I would be able to...eventually be only with you and no longer have to think about Arnold. The last thing I want to do is hurt you."

"And besides," she continued. "what makes you think that I will not be happy with you?" she countered. "Do you not realize that just the very thought of you makes me happy? Every time I wake up to go to school, I look forward to seeing you. I want to see you! Even the days when I'm in such a lousy mood, all I need to do is just think about you and it brightens my day. You-you have no idea how much you mean to me."

Rodrigo smiled at what Helga just said. For the first time since this whole thing happened, Rodrigo felt a sense of warmth inside him. The pain on his chest subsided a bit.

"I don't doubt that you will be happy with me, Helga." He calmly said to her with a smile. "But I know that you will be happier with Arnold."

Helga wanted to say no, she wanted to severely protest against that, but deep down she knew it was true. Despite having felt her heart being torn between two people, for the most part it still leaned towards her beloved football head. That's why instead of protesting, she simply look down, away from him.

By now, Rodrigo was losing his grip. He was getting a bit choked up, but reframed from shedding tears. Surprisingly, up until now, he didn't think he liked her that much. But after feeling this dreadful pain of letting her go, he realized just how much she meant to him. During the week when he was contemplating his response to Helga, he gave in to the sweet idea of having to one day hold her hands, to kiss her, hug her and be closer to her. Now he had to rip himself apart from that fantasy and it was devastating him.

"And I can't take that away from you." he continued. "It's…It's not right. You two have been in love with each other for so long, that it doesn't seem right for me to just come here and take that away from you and him. You have been dreaming of being with Arnold since you were three. Your love for him has never faltered. How can I take that away from you?"

"And what's more, you two are perfect for each other. I don't need to tell you that. You've always known that, even if you didn't. That's why you fell in love with him. You didn't fall for him because you were desperately trying to find some sort of comfort or because you were desperate for someone to love you; no. You love him because you two were meant for each other. I honestly have never heard of a couple more compatible for each other than you and Arnold. He loves you, Helga. He still does. Despite the years apart, he hasn't forgotten you. In fact, he is waiting for you."

"But..." she attempted to say something before Rodrigo cut her off.

"Helga, please don't make this any harder than it needs to be, ok?" he said as he choked up a bit. "It hurts, ok? It hurts a lot telling you this. I really wanted to be with you. I was going to say yes. But I just want you to be happy and I know that the only person that can truly give you that is Arnold. It would be selfish of me to not think about your first."

Helga said nothing. She just began to gently start caressing his hands while looking down at them with a guilty and worrisome look.

"It's ok Helga." he reassured her while a smile. This prompted her to look back up at him. "It's going to be ok. I'll be ok. I'll ...still be here for you as a...as a friend."

When Rodrigo stopped talking, silence gripped the living room. After some time, Helga got up and started walking around a bit, letting go of Rodrigo's hands in the process. She walked around the room nervously, biting her nail, but deep in thought. She thought for sure she had this under control. She thought she made the right decision. Now, she was completely debating everything. All the months of wondering, of attempting to move on, the tension building up between them, was it all wrong? Was she wrong? Was it a mistake to even have attempted to be with Rodrigo, especially if she still had feelings for Arnold? She then stopped and looked away from Rodrigo, still in deep thought. Rodrigo simply watched her from his seat, unwilling to interrupt her thought process.

Suddenly, Helga then turned around to face him and continued to look at him with complete astonishment. She didn't know what to say to him, except one final question.

"You-You're willing to give up your happiness, just so I can be happy?" she asked him.

Rodrigo said nothing and simply, but sadly nodded.

For a few seconds, Helga just stood there, staring at him. Then, she gave him a small, but loving smile, the same kind of smile that she gave him two Fridays ago, when she confessed about her and Arnold. She then walked towards him and hugged him tightly. Although surprised yet again, Rodrigo just hugged her back.

"Thank you Rodrigo, for everything." she said to him softly. "I'll never forget this." But before Rodrigo had any time to answer, Helga than got up and started walking towards the door.

"I have to see Arnold. He's probably already back from the mall." She said to him.

"Ok" he replied back as he also started walking towards the door with a heavy heart.

_I guess she finally made her decision._ He thought to himself sadly.

After grabbing their coats, they made their way out of the house.

"I guess I'll see you later." He said to her quietly and sadly.

"Are you going home?" she asked him.

"Yeah, why?"

"I'll come and see you after." She replied back.

"If it's ok with you Helga, I'd rather just be alone..." he started to say but Helga cut him off.

"No. I need to see you after I'm done talking to Arnold." she said to him firmly.

Rodrigo didn't really want any explanations from Helga about why she chose Arnold over him. For him, it didn't matter what the reasons were; it still hurts. He really wanted to say no again to her. He just wanted to be alone at the moment, but feeling compelled to give her some peace of mind, as well having a slight bit of curiosity was to what her explanation would be, he relented.

"Ok, sure." He said softly.

"Ok." She said before she turned around and started running towards the boarding house.

Rodrigo just stood there and watched her leave until she disappeared when she turned around the corner.

Swallowing hard after seeing the girl he grew to really like go into the arms of another guy, Rodrigo was no longer able to bear the pain. It was too much for him. Once disliking her, he

had to see himself grow up with the fact that he had been slowly growing fond her, until it was no longer just admiration, but...love? He did certainly feel something, and it was strong. He liked 'liked' her. He had come to like her tenacity, her ability to endure, her intelligence, even her aggressiveness. He like everything about her. For the first time, he now wanted to her to come back and grab him by his shirt again, just to be close to her and be able to look into those blue jewels that were her eyes. But now he had to face with the heartbreaking reality that she was no longer his to hold, not even to touch. Never will he be able to look at her in the way he had been looking at her just now. Never will he be able to intimately touch and caress her hands and cheeks. They were no longer his to experience it.

_I had her._ He thought to himself. _And I let her go..._

His heart finally broke. Rodrigo had to severely restrain himself from falling onto the ground and succumbing to tears. He leaned against the brick wall, it being his only sense of support, while he put his hands on his forehead and pulled his hair in utter frustration and anger.

_Man, this seriously hurts!_ He thought agonizingly as he rubbed his chest in order to get rid of the pain that he was feeling.

Despite the agony, Rodrigo played in his mind over and over when he held her hand and the hug she gave him. He remembered her skin being soft and smooth and her aroma was radiant of wild meadow flowers, sprouting passionately throughout the field.

After some time, he managed to regain his composure. He then slowly started walking home. He took out his cell to look at his music playlist. He scrolled down a bit until he stopped when a song caught his attention.

_Seems fitting._ He thought to himself melancholy.

He put on his headphones, then pressed play to listen to Evanescence's song _My Immortal:_

_I'm so tired of being here  
Suppressed by all my childish fears  
And if you have to leave  
I wish that you would just leave  
'Cause your presence still lingers here  
And it won't leave me alone_

_These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real  
There's just too much that time cannot erase_

_When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears  
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears  
And I held your hand through all of these years  
But you still have all of me_

_You used to captivate me by your resonating light  
Now, I'm bound by the life you left behind  
Your face it haunts my once pleasant dreams  
Your voice it chased away all the sanity in me_

_These wounds won't seem to heal, this pain is just too real  
There's just too much that time cannot erase_

_When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears  
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears  
And I held your hand through all of these years  
But you still have all of me_

_I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone  
But though you're still with me, I've been alone all along_

_When you cried, I'd wipe away all of your tears  
When you'd scream, I'd fight away all of your fears  
And I held your hand through all of these years  
You still have all of me, me, me_


	31. Chapter 31 - A New Chapter

**At the Annual Dancing Performance...**

Rodrigo and Helga were patiently waiting inside the arts classroom, which connected to the theatre where the Annual Dancing Performance was being held. They were up next. The Performance was originally scheduled to be held on the last Friday before the beginning of March break. However, on the Monday after Helga confessed her relationship status with Arnold to everyone, it was announced that the Annual Dancing Performance was to be moved two weeks later, on the Friday after March break. This brought much relieve to both Rodrigo and Helga, who were both preoccupied with the arrival of Arnold coming to visit them and the dramatic, triangular love affair between all three teens.

After Arnold went back to San Lorenzo, both teens quickly resumed their dancing lessons. They had no time to waste. Arnold's arrival completely interrupted their dancing practice. Luckily, they had little trouble getting into their rhythm. They were too far ahead to quit now. They have been taking this performance seriously, practicing at least three times a week after school. Sometimes they would even practice during the weekend as well.

Helga especially took this to heart, often practicing her dance moves in her room, even after she just came home from practicing with Rodrigo. Rodrigo for his part, took notice of Helga's commitment to win the performance, although he wasn't sure if she was doing it simply to win it or another reason. Regardless, seeing as how committed she was, he was not going to let her down, even after the whole drama with Arnold.

As the two teens were in the classroom waiting, Helga noticed that Rodrigo was fidgeting and breathing heavily.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

"Um...nothing...just a little nervous." Rodrigo responded back very nervously.

Helga, although surprised by his nervousness, was nevertheless not amused that out of all the days to be nervous, it had to be now.

"You have got to be kidding." she said to him with an irritated look on her face.

"Huh?"

"Crimeny, don't tell me that the Great Rodrigo is getting cold feet." she said to him as she gave him a slap him on his back. "You have no problem dancing in front of other people during school time; this isn't any different."

"It's a big difference, Helga." he countered. "At school, it's only ten to twenty people looking at me. Now, there are at least five hundred people that are going to be watching us, including judges!"

Although still somewhat unsympathetic, as she continued to look at him, she realized that she was not making things any better for him. She then lower her demeanor, gently put her hand on his shoulder and then softly said to him,

"Hey, you're going to be ok. Just focus on us and not the crowd. Don't think, just feel it." she said with a smile on her face.

Rodrigo took notice of the advise. He had given her the same one on the first day that they met. He looked at her for a moment before returning a weak smile to her.

"Thanks Helga." he said.

Just then, the current dancing contestants finished their dancing performance, bowed down and then started walking back into the backstage. The announcer then called the names of the next dancing contestants: Helga Pataki and Rodrigo Castile. The stage then went dark.

"Well, that's our cue." Helga said. "I'll see ya on the other side, Latino boy." As she gave him a wink with the gun hand gesture.

Rodrigo just smile at her as she walked onto the stage.

Despite it being completely dark, Helga walked right in the middle of the stage and did her beginning pose, waiting. After only a few seconds, the lights went back on, revealing Helga to everyone. She was looking at the floor with her hands in front.

Just then, the music started. The violins started playing, increasing in suspension and then in frequency, followed by the clarinet. Helga began her dancing with a serious of quick moves, followed by a slow, almost somber ones. The music that she picked for their performance was two. The one that was currently being performed was Pyotr Tchaikovsky's _Swan Lake._

Helga danced around the stage, with a combination of slow, somber yet graceful moves, followed by aggressive ones. She would frequently push her arms and hands outwards, while her body would also push and pull from side to side. It is as she was struggling, trying to break free, but from what? Who was she was struggling against? Was it someone else, or was it with herself, her inner demons? Was it something or someone malice she up against? Did it really matter who it was?

She continued her struggle for a bit longer, with each passing minute showing to the audience that this fight was slowly exhausting her. She would occasionally fall to the ground, only for her to quickly get back up and continue the fight. This was followed by the music as it got louder and louder, creating a type of suspension. Yet slowly but surely, her dancing demonstrated that she was succumbing to the whims of this entity, while also facially expressing her dismay of losing hope of ever winning against it. As time passed, her body slowly lowered to the floor, finally showing her exhaustion and illuminating to the audience that all hope was lost for her. There was nothing left inside her to continue, nothing left to hope for. Even as the music increased in intensity and energy, as if it were attempting to inspire her to continue, Helga showed no signs of fighting on. She just laid on the floor, with only her legs and arms moving, trying desperately to cling on to life, but to no avail. Finally, even such movements slowly began to decrease, as if she had finally succumbed to the inevitable and was now ready to end it all, just waiting for death to take her and finally end her suffering. Even the music now seemed to have turned against her, as if it were now supporting the gesture of death coming to take her. A noble and heroic struggle, one for the history books, but alas it was not enough, as if she was not enough to be in this world. In a rather traitorous way, the music of Swan Lake had demanded of Helga the highest standard of perfection and those that do not meet it, do not have the right to live in it.

The audience were in awe but dismayed at the amount of pain that they were seeing and feeling by Helga's ballet dancing, knowing full well at how merciless life can be; sometime rewarding others, while crushing others as if they were mere insects or vermins.

After about two minutes and forty seconds, the music started to die down, with Helga still on the ground, motionless. Then, just when it seems that all hope was lost, the music abruptly gets cut off, and the stage goes completely dark again. Two seconds later, it lights it up again, and another song starts to play.

A guitar started playing, a lovable, but slow melodic tone. Then, Rodrigo appeared, walking towards her. When he was only a foot away from her, the guitar playing stopped, allowing for a bachata music to replace it. The second song was Aventura's _Inmortal._

As Rodrigo walked towards her, Helga looked up, her somber look giving away to a hopeful surprise and smile. Rodrigo then gently extended his hand, offering his help to lift her up. After some hesitation, she accepted it. Rodrigo gently grabbed her hand and pulled her very close to her and soon, both started dancing.

The basic move for a bachata move was three steps to one side, followed up by a stop and moving your hip, following by move the opposite direction. Rodrigo led her to an initial basic dance with the slow circle. For almost a minute, they continued dancing the basic move. Then, Rodrigo started to occasionally turn Helga around. Slowly but surely, they began a series of complex moves. On other occasions, Rodrigo and Helga would 'struggle' with each other by intentionally disrupting their rhythm and coordination, indicating to the audience that even with him, conflict arose. Yet, they would always 'make up' by moving very close to each other and then be perfectly in tune with the beat and with themselves. Both their bodies would move perfectly simultaneously, while waving their arms around in line with the slow, yet loving tune of the bachata song.

_Me someto a la ciencia con demoras_

_en mi la testosterona_

_solo se active por ti_

_Vengan háganme un estudio cerebral_

_porque mi conducta no es normal_

_y este corazón dios lo hizo eterno_

_sepan que esta sentimiento es inmortal_

_en el libro Guiness va a parar_

_Hombre que más ama a una hembra_

_(mami)_

_Yo te amo hasta el infinito_

_Solido como un meteorito_

_Lo que siento jama lo van a entender..._

On one occasion, Helga would turn and dance while both teens faced the audience, only for Rodrigo then turn her around, then lean in toward her while she leaned outside, only for both to turn around and do the exact opposite. They did this a few times.

After another a little more than three minutes, the music started to slowly fade, until it completely stopped. Both teens also stop dancing, while striking up a pose. Then suddenly, violins were heard, followed by clarinets being played. The music was instantly changed back to _Swan Lake_, only it started two hours and forty seconds into the opera song_._

Both teens started moving again, only this time resorting to ballet dancing. Although having never learned ballet dancing before, Rodrigo had to quickly learn a few steps, as well as turn some of his dancing moves into ballet type of moves. Luckily for both teens, he was able to quickly learn his steps. Yet, it was Helga that performed most of the difficult ballet moves, as Rodrigo followed her lead.

Just then the drums started rolling again and the music got more louder and intense, prompting a euphoria of energy and passion into the two teens as they continued dancing. As in almost from the beginning, their moves signified that they were facing severe challenges and adversities, both within themselves and external. Only this time instead of going at them alone, they faced them together. By moving eloquently together and in perfect sequence with the tunes and beats of the opera song, they remained strongly determined to win and indeed, any new challenge only fueled their energy, their ambition to continue on! They showed no signs of exhaustion or being demoralized. Rather, they signaled to whatever was out there that they wanted more!

At last the trumpets sounded, signifying that the song was about to end. Rodrigo then prepared for the final move. They slowed their pace a bit, just as there was a sudden drop in sound and energy from the song, with the harp playing, only for it to increase again with the trumpets playing again. As on cue, Rodrigo lifted Helga up on his arms and held her by her legs as she straighten up. He then started, slowly at first, turning both of them around and around and around while Helga merely closed her eyes and waved her arms around, signifying their triumph over life itself.

As the brass and cymbals started beating, Rodrigo then put her down, which she then kneeled down, extending one of her legs and arm outward and behind her while looking straight at Rodrigo, who did the same, only he was standing up and facing her straight down. The brass and trumpet stopped and the performance ended.

After a few seconds, a thunderous sound was heard, as the crowd immediately started applauding and cheering. Rodrigo and Helga held on to their pose for a few seconds before he started slowly lifting her back up. As soon as she was right side up again, they stared at each other for a few more seconds in complete silence, all awhile breathing heavily.

Suddenly, Helga gently leaned forward and kissed Rodrigo on the lips while she wrapped her arms around his neck. Rodrigo returned with due kindness. This prompted the entire audience to start whistling and cheering even more loudly, with some members even getting up. However, both teens simply ignored the noise and the audience, as they were too much into each other, lost within their tender kiss.

**Two Sundays earlier…**

Soon after locking her house door, Helga started running to the boarding house as fast as she could. She felt terrible for leaving Rodrigo like that, but she felt she needed to settle things with Arnold first before making any kind of commitment to Rodrigo. The last thing she wanted to give him was anymore confusing sense of hope. Although she felt confident that she could do this, but she didn't want to take any chances.

_I just hope that stupid football head is actually home. It's been hours since he left for the mall. I have to talk to him. I have to make things clear._ She thought as she continued running.

Despite being angry at Rodrigo for blabbing out to Arnold like that, she knew a big chunk of the blame lied in her. She had not been clear with Rodrigo during that crucial week before Arnold's arrival and although she didn't want to admit it, she saw his point of view.

_Crimeny, as much as I am so angry at him at the moment, I can't blame the poor guy for him thinking that I was regretting my decision to wanting to be with him. I just left him in the cold like that. It must have been so confusing for him! I should have at least talked to him when we walking to see Arnold yesterday. It would have made all the difference!_ She thought.

Eventually, she reached the boarding house. She climbed up the stoop and quickly knocked on the door. After a few minutes, someone opened the door.

"Oh hi there, Helga. What brings you here?" Phil asked her.

"Hi Phil. I need to talk to Arnold, is he back yet?" Helga asked him.

"Well, yes. He just arrived a few minutes ago. You didn't go with him to the mall?" he asked her as he moved away to let her in.

"I wasn't able to. I had things to do beforehand." She lied to him.

"Well, he is upstairs in his room. You know the way." he said.

"Thanks Phil." Helga replied back, as she made her way towards Arnold's room.

As the climbed up the stairs, she started getting nervous. Her hands became cold and her heartbeat started racing, but she remained determined to see this through.

_Oh man, this is going to be harder than I thought. But I have to do this. This drama has to end. _She thought to herself. _I just hope I'm able to do this._

Despite the nervousness that she was experiencing, she nevertheless continued walking, passing by the other boarders' rooms. As soon as she got to the end of the hallway, she made her way up the stairs, right up to the door. Talking a big breath in, she knocked on the door and waited for a response.

"It's open!" Arnold called out.

Helga calmly grabbed the handle, twisted it, then opened the door. Helga walked in without saying a word.

Arnold was busy organizing all the things he bought from the mall. Most of them were clothes, but there were other items, mostly souvenirs, for his friends back in San Lorenzo. He also bought some gadgets and other items for himself. As soon as Helga opened the door and walked in, Arnold turned around and was surprised to find her here.

"Oh, hey Helga." He calmly said to her.

"Hey." was all Helga could say back to him without collapsing.

"What brings you here?" he asked her.

"We um…we need to talk, football head." She replied back.

"Ok. About what?" he asked her.

"About everything that happened yesterday." She said him.

"Oh ok."

Arnold gestured to Helga to take a seat on his bed, while he sat down on his desk chair. Helga accepted the invitation and calmly walked towards his bed to sit down. Despite her outward calm appearance, she was collapsing on the inside. She was petrified about what was about to unfold! It took every ounce of her strength to not show it.

Arnold for his part, knew full well what Helga wanted to talk to him about. He too had been bothered by this confusion between him, Rodrigo and Helga and was looking forward to finally settling this.

As both teens sat down, Arnold patiently waited for Helga to start talking. However, she simply sat there, trying desperately not to fall into pieces. What she had to say to her beloved football head was going to tear her apart, but she knew that this was the right decision for everyone, for her.

"Rodrigo uh…told me what he told you after I left yesterday." She finally spoke, albeit sheepishly.

Arnold said nothing and simply looked at her. Helga took this as her cue to continue.

"That must have been very confusing for you." She added.

"Ya it was. I didn't really know what to say to him. I mean, I had thought you guys had made it very clear to each other about how you both felt, so for him to say the complete opposite of what you told me was very…surprising." he said to her.

"But you knew how I felt about him and how I was just waiting for his response. Why didn't you tell him that? Why didn't you tell him what I said to you earlier?" she asked him.

Arnold took a moment to carefully respond to Helga's question. Unlike with Rodrigo, he had no intention of hiding anything from Helga. She had always been a dead honest person and he felt obliged to return the favour.

"I guess I just didn't want to interfere." he explained. "I thought this was perhaps something that needed to be cleared out between you and him and I didn't feel right to intervene, at least if either of you asked me to. I know how you always hated when people stuck their nose into things that was none of their business, and I guess I thought I shouldn't be treated any differently. That's why I never ran up to you yesterday when you suddenly left the boarding house."

Helga simply looked at him, feeling satisfied to his response.

"There's something else." Arnold added nervously.

"What?" she asked him.

Arnold struggled for a bit to find the right words and when he finally began to speak again, he didn't look directly at her, as he felt somewhat ashamed for feeling this way.

"I also didn't say anything because...well...I was thinking about what he said."

"What?" Helga asked him with a surprising look on her face.

Arnold just sighed and gave in to the inevitable. As much as he didn't want to come between her and Rodrigo, he thought Helga deserved the right to listen to how he still felt about her.

"I've missed you, Helga. Things hadn't been the same for me since we, or rather, I broke up with you." he began to explain with a serious case of nervousness in his voice. "I felt that what I did was for your benefit, but after what Rodrigo told me about what you went through, I just couldn't believe what I did to you."

Arnold stopped talking for a bit, as he rubbed his blonde hair and forehead, preparing himself to what he was going to say to her.

"I never wanted to break up with you, Helga. I wanted to still be with you, even if was as a long-distance relationship. I've never stopped thinking about you. And having not receive any of your letters throughout all this time was...well...hard for me. It felt like that I completely lost you. I know I hurt you on that day. But I thought that I was doing the right thing for you."

"I thought that despite all the pain that I inflicted on you and what I went through, it would have eventually have been...well...worth it. You would eventually move on and not have to wait for me. It just wasn't fair to you to put you through all that when I couldn't even promise you that we would be together again. But what Rodrigo told me, now I know that everything that I put you and myself through was for nothing!"

Helga looked on as Arnold fell into complete despair, recalling what Rodrigo told about what Helga went through. His heart shattered at the very thought of the amount of pain and agony that Helga must have felt all these years

"I thought when I broke up with you, I would the only one carrying this burden..." Arnold stopped for a minute as he started getting choked up.

"Why would you think that you would be the only one?" she asked him.

"I knew you were hurt and angry with me and I thought you would use that anger to try to forget about me. But you never did." he explained.

Helga had a good feeling of where Arnold was going with this. She felt it go right through her spine all the way to her gut. She initially patiently listened, but she was no longer able to wait for him to get to the point.

"Arnold...what are you trying to say?" she bluntly asked him.

"What I'm trying to say is that I don't suppose we can...try again?" he asked her with an almost puppy like but hopeful eyes.

_We can...try again?_ Helga thought to herself.

Helga let out a small gasp as her heart sank right through the second she heard those words, 'try again'. She had been waiting almost three years to hear that; "let us try again". For that long, she had been waiting, dreaming, and obsessing over the day she would one day be able to continue her relationship with the person she had always loved. Her heart started to race when she heard him say that. This is what she had been waiting for. Her entire life had stopped the moment Arnold left Hillwood and now, this is the chance for it to start again, to continue moving on. Only this time, it could be with her beloved football head! Her dream had finally arrived!

At any other time, Helga would have instantly said yes, jumped on him and kissed him without so much as a second thought. Yet, she was fiercely restraining herself. Despite finding herself buckling under the pressure, she refused to give in to her desire. She had been thinking about this for more than two weeks and despite Arnold's arrival and wanting to be together again, she knew what her answer was to him, but was unable to say it, afraid that the wrong one might come out. Despite it all, her confidence was waning under her decision.

Helga attempted several times to give him her answer verbally, but each time she found herself choking up, unable to say anything. The pressure inside her was mounting and she was finding it difficult to deal with it. She tightly grabbed Arnold's bed sheets and squeezed them, trying to not collapse under the pressure. Looking straight into his eyes, her eyes started getting watery and tears started falling down. Again she tried to give him a verbal answer, but again she failed.

Finally, unable to verbally tell him, she resorted to simply moving her head. She shook it sideways; it was a no.

Arnold looked at her with a bit of shock in his face. He wasn't just hoping she would say yes; he was kind of expecting it.

_Did she just say no?_ He thought to himself.

"I-I'm sorry Arnold, but we can't." She finally said something to him.

"Well, why not?" he asked her calmly, but with an almost hurtful tone in his voice.

Gathering enough strength to talk to him without falling into pieces, she breathed in before starting.

"I-In your letters and when we talked yesterday, you-you have mentioned that apart from school and helping your parents, you have also been helping other people; opening up schools, building homes and distributing donated clothes and books. You...You said that you have been thinking about doing that long-term."

"Well yeah, it's for a good cause." Arnold began to explain. "Since I started doing it, I have been finding it to be personally rewarding. It gives people there a chance to live better and I was thinking that it also goes well with me wanting to become an architect. I can help design and build schools, organize entire communities that can be safe from mudslides or with unstable foundations. I can even help construct a sewage system for people so Cholera or other diseases won't spread."

"But, are you planning on ever coming back to Hillwood or to any place to just settle down?" she asked him.

Arnold said nothing for a while and rubbed his back head as he carefully thought about his answer.

"Well, I guess my simple answer would be no. I mean, I don't have a specific time, but this is something that I would like to do for quite a while, years probably. I guess I'll just have to wait and see as time goes by."

Helga already knew that by his letters, this is something that he wanted to do on a long-term basis. She just needed to hear it from him.

"Where does that leave us?" she asked her.

"What do you mean?" he asked her.

"How can you expect to be in a relationship when you are busy saving the world, football head?" she clarified her question to him.

"Well, I was thinking that perhaps you can come and live with me in San Lorenzo. There is an American-type university there and they have good programs in literature and in the social sciences. The capital is filled with many inspirations for your writing." he said.

Helga smiled at the prospect of having to live with him in San Lorenzo. Indeed, this was what she was going to do almost a year back.

"That sounds great Arnold," she said as she wiped some tears from her eyes. "except for one thing; you go off to some village in the middle of the jungle to save people while I stay in the capital, waiting for you to come home. I don't see much of a difference between that scenario and me just staying here." She countered.

"Well, you can always come with me to the villages and help out, Helga. Actually, I was hoping if you can do that. That way, we can still be close to each other, while also help those in need." He responded back.

Again, Helga found herself buckling. Everything she was hoping to hear from Arnold; asking her to be together again, wanting her to go live with him and be physically close to him, it all felt too surreal. As much as she wanted to say yes, there was one thing that Arnold had either left out or had been intentionally hiding that prevented that from happening. It was a crucial factor, one that she had done for him multiple times, but he had not.

"This all sounds great Arnold, it really does..." she said to him.

"But then why did you say no?" he asked her.

Helga started choking up again and unable to answer him that question. She felt her heart ache and hear stomach twist, but she was not going to give in just now. Helga held onto the bed sheets tight as she felt her heart about to be ripped into two. Despite the pain, she was determined to tell him, to tell him how she truly felt about all of this. This was it. This is what she had been holding back. For years, she reframed from telling Arnold how she really felt about him leaving. It wasn't just difficult for her; it was devastating. Despite being angry at Rodrigo for telling Arnold what she went through, he was right; Arnold needed to know and he needed to know how she felt about all of this. She needed him to understand why she said 'no' to him.

"Because I'm not your first priority! I'm not at the top of your list." She finally said while more tears came down.

"What? What do you mean?" he asked her with a surprising and concerning look on his face.

"You left me to go with your parents. You chose them over me." she bluntly told him.

"But Helga," Arnold protested. "You know the reason why I went with my parents. This wasn't something that I wanted to go simply for the fun of it. You know how upsetting it was for me when my parent broke the news. I tried to let it go, I really did, but I wasn't able to. You can't hold that against me!"

"I'm not Arnold." she told him. "I completely understand why you had to go with your parents. All of us did. That's why we never seriously protested against you leaving, despite how upsetting it was."

"But then why did you make it sound that I made a decision to be with my parents over you?" he asked her.

"Because you did." she said to him.

"But it wasn't a choice!" he countered with a raised voice.

Arnold was now losing his patience. He felt that out of everyone, she would understand why he felt compelled to go with his parents. Now she was making it sound that it was some type of easy decision that he selfishly chose to do, without regard of how this would affect her.

"You know about my nightmares and the serious anxiety that I developed. I ended up having to take medication just to calm down! I tried everything to stave it off, but nothing worked. I didn't do well at school, I didn't want to go out, I couldn't even enjoy myself hanging out with you or with our friends. I'd figured that if I went with my parents, my anxiety and nightmares would stop, which they did. But this wasn't a decision that I made in one day. I thought about it for many weeks. I thought about what it would mean for us if I left Hillwood. It wasn't an easy, nor a selfish decision, Helga!"

"And yet, you still chose to be with your parents." She told him bluntly but calmly again.

Despite how upsetting Arnold was becoming, for once, Helga remained calmed throughout. Indeed, Helga had a strong point. No one really forced Arnold to go with his parents. Ultimately, the decision, and the burden, fell onto him and no one else.

"I know you were hurting at the thought of losing your parents again." she continued. "I understand how much this was upsetting you. But what you are not getting is the cruel irony of this whole situation. I don't want to brag about this, but had it not been for me, you would never have been reunited with your parents. I did the whole San Lorenzo trip for you, because it would have made you happy at the thought of at least knowing what happened to your parents. Yes, it was bit selfish on my part, but in the end you got your parents back...and as a result, I finally got you. But the very thing that brought us together was the very thing that tore us apart. Even if you never broke up with me on that day, it was still a very serious painful and ironic twist that I had to swallow. What is upsetting about all of this is that, for me...and selfishly, finding your parents mounted to nothing. I had you...only to lose you again. Do you honestly know what that feels like, football head?"

When Arnold just shook his head, she continued.

"It feels like fate was completely toying with my emotions!" she explained to him with a choked up and raised voice. "I have been made to feel that my feelings and my attempts at finding any kind of happiness in this godforsaken and pathetic world are not even taken seriously by the winds of fortune! I was only given a few years of happiness, only a few years at experiencing my dreams coming true, only to be ripped apart and brought back down to this unbearable, cruel reality, alone! That is how I felt when you told me of your decision to go with your parents. Despite what you may believe, I'm not angry at you, nor am I angry at your parents. Ok, I was angry at your parents for some time, but that's not the point. I was just angry in feeling so...powerless and so insignificant! I did everything I could to help you get better, to make you be that annoyingly optimistic person again. But despite my best efforts, you still left me! It's as if whatever I did was not enough...that I was not good enough for you to remain here with me."

As much as Helga tried not to, tears fell down her eyes, but reframed from completely sobbing. She still had a lot more to say to him.

"Your thoughts, your need, your anxiety or whatever the hell you were experiencing during those last months, were for your parents. " she continued to explain. "Tell me this Arnold; when you decided that you were going to go with you parents, did you experience the same level of anxiety, nightmares and depression at the thought of leaving me? I know you were hurt and upset that you would be leaving me, but were those emotions at the same serious level as with your parents?"

As much as Arnold didn't want to admit it, it was true. Although he was sadden and upset that he would be leaving Helga behind, they never reached the same level of height as they did with his parents. Unconsciously, he prioritized his parents over Helga. Arnold said nothing and merely looked away, in both defeat and in shame, thereby answering Helga's question.

"Or perhaps you can answer me this question; do you regret it?" she asked him as she looked at him straight in the eye

"What? Regret what?" he asked.

"Do you regret going with your parents instead of staying here with your friends, with me?" she clarified her question.

Arnold was horrified at the question; not because he found it offensive, but because he didn't want to answer it. As much as it wounded Arnold to think of the realization, he cannot say that he regretted it.

"I uh...umm...I..." he struggled to answer her but he ended up only stuttering his words.

"It's ok Arnold. You can tell me. I have always been brutally honest to you, so do the same for me." she reassured him.

_As much as I hate to admit it, I can't say I regret it. I don't._ He thought._ Being with my parents were some of the happiest moments of my life. I learned so much about them and actually felt I had a...real family. Yes, it was tough leaving everyone behind. It was tough leaving her, but it was also rewarding in going to the unknown and just bonding with my mom and dad. How can I say that I regret that?_

This time Arnold looked straight back at her, albeit with a seriously sad facial expression.

"I don't regret it." he bluntly said to her.

Helga initially said nothing and just inhaled deeply, then let the air out.

"And despite all of that," she continued. "I still waited for you, hoping to one day be with you again. I hanged on this obsessive and suicidal hope that we can be together. But now you are asking me to leave everything behind just so you can save the world. Not for your sake, but for the world's sake. It's a good cause football head and I know people will write songs and build statues of you there. But like with your parents, you are making the world a first priority and me, or us, second. You are asking me to make more sacrifices for you."

"You don't want to live with me?" he asked her.

"I want to be with you, but I do not want to live there. You want to save the people and the world. To be brutally honest, I don't care about it, or about saving it; I care about you, about us."

"You have given me what my parents never have; love and the attention that I, or any person needs." she confessed to him. "And I know that you love me Arnold, I can see it in your eyes, and I don't doubt that. But have you been making the necessary commitment to me, to us, as I have?"

Arnold looked her with a rather disturbed look on his face.

"I...uh...umm..." he attempted to explain himself but his stumbled on his words. "Helga, my intentions are good. Surely you can see that!" He finally blared out.

"I do see it Arnold and like I said, it is a noble and just cause." She said to him. "You should be proud of yourself for that. But I can't share the same dreams that you have. We can't be like your parents. Did it ever occur to you that I have my own dreams, my own ambitions to fulfill? Heck I have my own issues deal with! I know there are other people who would do the same thing as you would like to do, but I am not those people. I am not like them. I am Helga G. Pataki."

"In one of your letters," she continued with teary eyes. "you said that this was your calling. You mentioned it several times, even in our conversation yesterday, how rewarding it was for you and how happy it made you feel. You would not be able to pursue it if you were with me, football head. We both know that I'd be a...burden to you."

Helga wiped away a few tears before she continued.

"So I guess it's best if...if we...don't get back together. You have found your dream job and I can't take away from you. I honestly shouldn't be surprised. You are always there for everyone to lend a helping hand. You were there for me, Gerald, our friends, your parents, the boarders, Pigeon man, Stoop Kid, everyone. It's what makes you, you. It wouldn't be you if you didn't do this."

"We-We had a good run, football head. We really did." she said as she started choking up again, letting more tears to fall down. "I will always cherish our moments together. You have given me so much and I thank you for that. Those years of us being together have been the happiest of my life. I will never forget them..." she said as she finally started sobbing, no longer able to hide the dreadful pain she was feeling.

It was by now that she realized the awful truth: Arnold was never hers to begin with, as much as she wanted him to be. He never belonged to her. No, he belonged to the world. The world and making it a bit better was always his oyster, his area. It is what made him Arnold Shortman. And for that reason, she had to let him go. This was her sacrifice for the betterment of this miserable and pathetic world that had always been unfair and unkind to her. This was her last sacrifice that she will be doing for him, to make him happy.

Arnold instantly got up, approached her, sat down beside her and then hugged her tightly. Helga simply hugged him back as she continued to cry on his shoulder. For his part, he said nothing, only continued to hug her. His heart also ached as he continued comforting her, but he dared not show the pain and disappointment that he was also feeling.

Was Helga being selfish? A bit. But it had become clear to her that Arnold was not on the same page as she was when it came to their relationship. Helga would have sacrificed her family's happiness just to make him happy and indeed she did that, many times. Yet when it came for Arnold to 'return the favour', to prove to her that he was committed as well, in her eyes, he failed. Despite his emotional and psychological issues with his parents, he still made the choice to go with his parents, even when his parents initially refused to allow him to go with them, he was adamant. In simple terms, he chose them over Helga. And now again, he was choosing to prioritize others other than Helga; the people in San Lorenzo. This was the advantage that Rodrigo gave her that Arnold has not been able to: Rodrigo had sacrificed his happiness to be with her in order to make her happy; to be with Arnold. Arnold for his part, as much as he wanted to be with her, was not willing to give up his happiness to be with his parents in order to be with her. Helga had given Arnold her heart, her life, her entire existence just to be with him. She would have sacrificed her friends and family to move to San Lorenzo with them. But Arnold was not even willing to let his parents go in order to be with her. She felt she was investing a lot into this while Arnold did the exact opposite.

To make matters even more frustrating, Helga understood why though. She knew how much he wanted to be with his parents, not just to make up for the time lost, but have the family that he never had. Yet as much as she understood that, it also felt a knife going to into her heart. It hurt her knowing that Arnold explicitly chose to be with his parents rather than with her. Tried as she might, she couldn't help but feel selfish. Was it selfishness on her part? Didn't she have a right to be upset that Arnold would leave her to be with his parents? Unfortunately that was the issue; Arnold had to make a choice; it was either Helga or the Other and he has been consistently choosing the latter.

Helga realized that the very personality trait that attracted to him in the first place; his kindness and desire to help others, is the very trait that is now driving him away from her. While crying on Arnold's shoulders, Helga let out a small smile the very thought of this ironic twist.

Indeed, Helga did not find his desire to help construct homes, hospitals and schools in San Lorenzo surprising. This was always him; a kind, gentle person who was always willing to take the shirt off his back for you. But now Helga realized that this was a path that she herself was not willing go. She did not have that desire to go that far of a distance to help others in need. Who cares about them! Was she being selfish? Perhaps. But she had her own dreams and ambitions that she wanted to fulfill. She had always envisioned on having career as a writer or in the social sciences and to start a family. Whether this was in Hillwood or in some other city, that didn't matter. Naturally, she had always envisioned on starting a family with Arnold.

As was always the case with Helga, if she was going to help others, it was going to be in her own way. Being a writer or a psychologist was that path for her. She didn't want the world, nor to save it. She just wanted to have a life with Arnold and to start a family with him. It was the bare minimum of what life had to offer. After everything that she went through, that wasn't too much to ask!

But it now became apparent to Helga what Arnold's priorities were and to her dismay, she was not at the top of his list. She now had to swallow the unbearable reality that despite everything that she did for him, it was still not enough for him to make it at the top of his list. Could she blame him for wanting to help other people? Could she blame him for wanting to stay close to his parents after being away from them for so many years? She never had any doubt that Arnold loved her, except that he loved his parents and his willing to help others more. For Helga, this was too much to endure, too much to tolerate. This was the last straw.

There was also another thing that she realized as she was talking to her beloved football head. She realized that because Arnold was now away with his parents, he was no longer there for her. Despite in his letters providing verbal moral support, he was not able to provide that physical and psychological support that she felt she needed. Rodrigo on the other hand, was. The Latino boy had been there for her since they first met and despite their disagreements, he had not left her side. He continued being there for her, giving her that necessary 'shoulder' for her lean on when she needed. She couldn't say the same thing for Arnold. As far as she was concerned, Arnold left her to pursue other ends. It didn't matter what the reasons were; whether it was to be with his parents, or to help other people who were in more dire need than she was, the fact remained the same. As much as he wanted to be there for her, he wasn't. He couldn't be everywhere at once. He had to make a choice between her and other people, a choice he already made when he left Hillwood.

In the meantime, Arnold calmly continued hugging Helga while she sobbed on his shoulders. Yet, he couldn't but feel a knife had just struck his heart. As painful as it was, he reframed from showing it to her. He wasn't just hurting because she said 'no'. He was also hurting in seeing her this hurt, in demonstrating to him just how much he hurt her. Although she was in no way blaming him, it was a matter of fact that he did hurt her.

_As much as I hate to admit it, she is right. _Arnold sadly thought to himself. _I haven't been putting her at the top of my list, not in the way she had been with me. I have always wanted to help others, it's in my nature. But I can't be in two places at once. As much as I love her, I have found my calling; this is what I want to do in my life._

_I can't believe that I was this naive to think that Helga and I could go to San Lorenzo or some other country and help those in need, like my parents._ he continued to think to himself._ Helga was right, I let my issues with my parents get the better of me. It blinded me on not just what I was losing, but also whom I was hurting._

Arnold continued to hug her for some time, allowing her to let all the pain and anger that had been bottling up for years out of her system. When Helga finally came to quiet down a bit, Arnold decided to speak.

"Helga," Arnold finally spoke. "It's ok, I understand."

He gently lifted her up so as to look at her. He gently held her hand and continued to speak.

"I cannot tell you how sorry I am for putting you through all of this. I never meant to hurt you. But I understand why you said 'no' and I'm not angry at you, or at Rodrigo. I'm disappointed and...sad if you want me to honest, but not angry."

Helga said nothing but only wiped away the tears that were still falling down her cheek.

"If being with Rodrigo makes you happy...then you should be with him." Arnold continued. "I will not come between you. In the end, that's all I ever wanted for you; to be happy."

Helga didn't know how to react to this; she felt...conflicted. On the one hand, she was thrilled that not only was she able to see this through, but also that Arnold understood her decision, as much as it hurt him. But on the other hand, it severely hurt at the fact that she just burned the bridge that led to Arnold. Whatever life she had hope she would have with him was now gone. There was no going back now. It stung, it really did stung, but she felt that it was necessary in order to move on. Despite loving Arnold, she wanted to be with Rodrigo. For the past two weeks she had been reeling at the fact that Arnold, as much as she was in love in with him, was a person that lied in the past. With everything that has happened, she realized that whatever future she thought she would have with him was only a fantasy. She only had hope for a future with him, but no concrete proof or evidence of ever coming true. With Rodrigo, she felt that she actually had something to look forward to; a future, a bright and hopeful future. It was a new start for her.

"Thanks football head." she said to him with teary eyes. "Thanks for understanding."

"But I do hope that we can at least be...friends?" he asked her. "I know it will take a while for things to settle down between us, but there is no hurry. I would really like to still have you in my life Helga, at least as a friend."

"I would like that too, Arnold." she gently said to him with a small smile on her face.

"Let's not think of this as the end, but as a new chapter." he said to her.

Granted, it would take a LONG while for it to ever reach that. But Helga was confident that with time, with Rodrigo by her side, and the fact that Arnold will not be physically there at Hillwood, they would eventually and be able to be friends. It would take a while for her to emotionally see him as a friend, but she was willing to try. She had no intention of ever leaving him outside from her life.

After making a few more small talk, Helga had to leave to see Rodrigo.

"I have to go and talk to Rodrigo about this. I wanted to clarify things with you first before I do with him." she said to him.

"He doesn't know yet?" Arnold asked her.

"No. The poor guy thinks that I came here to be with you. He came to my house to clarify things and I could tell that he was falling into pieces when he told me that he was letting me go so I could be with you." she explained.

"Ok. I guess I'll see you later?" he said to her.

"I'll have to see about that. You've only been back for two days and I've already caused a lot drama and stress during your stay. I don't want to cause anymore problems for you, Arnold. So it might be best if I just don't come around." she sadly said to him.

"You're not a problem for me, Helga." he responded back to her. "You never were. And no, I would like to see you while I'm here. I didn't just come here for our friends, I also came to see you and I'm sticking to that."

Helga just smiled at him.

"Always the most optimistic and inclusive person." she said to him.

Arnold just smiled back at her.

After saying their goodbyes, Helga then walked straight out of the boarding house and quickly made her way to Rodrigo's house.

It was still March and the weather was still cold. A few breezes went by, causing Helga to shiver under its weight, but she was determined to end all of this once and all. With Rodrigo, she cannot imagine how he must be feeling about all of this. She felt terrible for making him think that she chose Arnold over him, when it was in fact the exact opposite.

As Helga continued making her way to his house, she was just thankful that it was not snowing or raining on this day. Yet the weather was still terrible. It was very cloudy and gloomy, making the whole city feel depressing to be in. Yet spring was just around the corner and pretty soon, everything will be green and alive again. She had that to look forward to in the near future and she was excited to share it with Rodrigo.

After some walking, she finally made it to his house. She went up the stoop and knocked on the door.

_Man, I hope he's not going to be too pissed at me._ She thought to himself.

After a few moments, the door opened, revealing Rodrigo. He didn't smile or seemed excited to see her. Actually, he didn't look happy at all. But then again, why would he be? If anything, he looked depressed. His eyes were not red or teary, but Helga could clearly tell by the look of his face that he was in a poor state right now.

"Hey." he said to her.

"Hey." she said back.

"Are you ok?" he worryingly asked her, as he opened the door completely to allow her in.

"Um, ya I am. Why?" she said as she stepped inside.

"Because your eyes are really red, your cheeks are somewhat puffy, and you look like you've been ran over by a train. Did something happen?" he asked her with a concerned look.

"That's what I need to talk to you about." she said to him.

Rodrigo led her to his room so they can talk. He was dreading this meeting the whole time since he left her house. He really didn't want, nor did he care what explanation she had for him. He just wanted the pain to go away and move on. A few times he just wanted to stop and tell her that he didn't want to hear her. Worse, he wanted her to leave so he can be alone today. He was in no mood to have guests.

"Where is everyone?" she asked him as they went up the stairs.

"My parents went to go shopping. They took my sister with them. I am in no mood to go anywhere today, so I stayed home." he bluntly but sadly told her.

Helga took notice of Rodrigo's mood and attempted to not further aggravate, nor upset him. She knew he was in his last ropes and she didn't want him to explode at her when she had some good news for them.

As they were approaching his room, Helga could hear music being played inside his room; a piano, specifically speaking. It had a rather slow, yet sad melodic tune to it. It was as if its composer lost something, or someone and he was remembering those times of togetherness, of a supposed eternal happiness. And although it did have its high energy pitches, it was mostly when the person recalled the wonderful memories for that specific person whom he lost. Other than that, most were of the recollection of what is no longer there, of what it could have been, yet it was now forever cast into the wind. Upon getting closer to his room, Helga recognized the song; it was Ludwig Beethoven's _Für Elise_.

Rodrigo opened his bedroom door and invited her in and then closed the door behind him. While she sat on his bed, he sat on his desk chair.

*click* He turned the music off.

"Beautiful song." she commented.

"It's Ludwig Beethoven's _Für Elise_" He responded.

Helga said nothing and just gave him a very small smile.

"So what happened? Why were you crying?" he asked her, this time with almost no emotion, nor any worried tone in his voice. Whatever concern he had for her, it went away. He just wanted to get straight to the point and end this so he can spend the rest of the day alone.

Helga didn't want to further procrastinate this either, and so went straight to the point. She cleared her throat and began.

"I uh...I didn't get together with Arnold. H-He wanted to, but I said no to him."

Now the emotions were returning to Rodrigo's face. He was so surprised by her confession that he quickly leaned forward from his chair.

"What? What do you mean you said 'no' to him? Why?" he asked her.

_Whatever explanation she has, it better be good. We did not go through all of this drama and crap this past week just so she can just say 'no to him!_ he thought to himself annoyingly.

Helga then proceeded to tell Rodrigo everything that she and Arnold had just spoken about, including her reasons why she said 'no' to him.

If Rodrigo was surprised before, he was now in utter shock. He stood there motionless, with his jaw hanging open.

"But...but you said that you love him." was all he was able to remark.

"I do." Helga then closed her eyes as more tears started pouring out. "But that doesn't mean that him and I should be together." she continued with teary eyes. "We developed different paths and we do not see eye to eye on the future."

"Helga...I'm really sorry to hear that." Rodrigo said to her genuinely, feeling fully concerned about her well being again.

Despite his somber mood, he still cared for her and it pained him to see her hurt like this.

Both teens then stayed silent for a bit as Rodrigo just absorbed the news that he just heard. Helga just wiped away more of her tears.

"Did you knew from the beginning about all of this?" he began to ask her.

"I did. Even before we received the news of him coming to visit, I knew the reasons why I wanted to be with you other than just me having feelings for you." she explained. "But when I told Arnold that I liked you before the party, that wasn't planned. It just kind of...came out. I don't know why said it to him, but when I did, it felt...good." she continued with now a smile on her face.

"After I told him, I didn't really feel conflicted anymore, nor felt any guilt when I said it. I actually felt...relieved. And that's when I knew that I made the right decision. That's why I kind of lost it with you when you came to my house earlier today and told me that Arnold and I deserved to be together. I felt that I was back in square one and everything that I, or we, went through was for nothing. I'll admit, when you said that, I was buckling under the pressure and for a while, I seriously considered in getting back together with him."

"What changed your mind?" Rodrigo asked.

"When I asked you if you are giving up your happiness to be with me just so I can be happy and you said 'yes', I knew right then and there that I have made the right choice in wanting to be with you. " she explained. "You were willing to commit, Arnold wasn't. But even then, I didn't say anything to you because I needed to talk to Arnold first. Although I was 100% sure that I wanted to be with you, a huge part of me still wanted to be with him and I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to go through with it. I didn't want to say 'yes' to you, only to come back and say 'no'. I needed to go through with it first. That's why I kind of left you like that, making you think that I chose him over you. And for that I'm sorry."

Although feeling a bit embittered that he was made to think that Helga chose Arnold, he knew this was a hard thing for her to have gone through and she didn't want to further hurt him. As much as he wanted to, he was not going to blame her for this.

"It must have been really hard for you if you had to do that." he remarked.

Helga said nothing and merely nodded.

"I'm not angry at you Helga for doing that; I understand why you had to and...it's ok." he said to her.

Yet, there was one thing about this whole thing that was not making him feel any better.

"Can I ask you a question? If you and I never met, or if you didn't like anyone else, would you have gotten together with Arnold?" he asked.

"Definitely, without a second thought." she answered him without even hesitating. "He even invited me to come live with him to San Lorenzo. Yet even with that invitation, I still said no."

Rodrigo was now even more surprised. But this only made it more confusing for him. She loved him, and she only likes him, yet she was choosing him over Arnold.

"Why? Why did you chose me over him?" he asked her.

"If you and I never met, I would have gone with Arnold only because I had no choice." she said to him.

"What do you mean 'no choice'?" he asked.

"You know that I don't want to go live there, for many reasons. The constant moving and traveling to some godforsaken jungle alone would have driven me crazy. Yet, if I didn't like you, I would have gone with Arnold because I wouldn't have had anything to look forward to here in Hillwood. I would have had nothing pulling me back from actually moving. My love for him would have been too much for me to say 'no' and it would pulled me towards him...and I know that going down there to live with him would have been a serious mistaken. I would have regretted it. As much as I love him, I can't live the type of life that he lives, and I can't be the type of person that he wishes me to be. I am my own person with my own goals that I want to fulfill."

"Arnold has other priorities in his life and...I'm not at the top of his list. I realized this in his letters and when I spoke to him on Saturday. Yet, I would have still gone down there, without even thinking of the consequences. I wouldn't have even thought about it."

"But since I did meet you and started liking you...actually I like you quite a lot," she said sheepishly with a smile. "I not only do have something to look forward to here in Hillwood, but I'm also able to think more clearly. It is because of you and this whole tug and pull session that, for the first time ever...I am able to give myself the space to really think this through. And as much as it kills me to admit it, I realized that going down there would have made things worse for me. Under those conditions, I don't think I would have been as happy as I would be if I was with you here."

"But I only managed to realized this after everything that has been going on during these last seven months."

"What do you mean? Between us? Between what we have been talking about?" Rodrigo asked.

Helga just nodded. She seemed she wanted to say something, but she hesitated.

_Should I just admit it to him? He should know what has done for me. Jeez, I can't even admit it to myself!_ She thought. _Oh just tell him already!_

"I don't want to inflate your ego, Latino boy," she began with sarcastic smile on her face, "but you practically gave me my life back during those months. You gave me a sense of worth in myself that I had not experienced in a long time. For the first time in years...or ever in my life, even before I acknowledge my feelings for you to myself, I felt I could...have a life without Arnold. You showed me that, Rodrigo. I didn't think it would even be possible...but I can see myself actually having a future, even if it is without him. Even though it's painful, in the end, I think it is ok. It's ok if he and I don't end up together. I'm still here and alive, the world hasn't ended and I think that's what is important."

Rodrigo said nothing and remained motionless, feeling completely stunned at this 'third' confession. Although glad that all of his efforts in trying to help her with her issues actually went somewhere, he never thought in a million years that it would have been this influential.

Helga readjusted her hair that had slightly fallen in front of her face before she continued.

"I never would have been able to I feel I ever had an option, a choice of where I wanted go in life, had it not been for you. There are no words or any amount of appreciation that I can show you for what you have done for me. You helped me in ways that very few people ever could. I honestly will never forget it. Thank you Rodrigo."

"I um...you're welcome." Rodrigo responded, still clearly stunned.

"How did Arnold take all this?" he asked her.

"He was sad and disappointed, but he accepted it. He knew he couldn't argue against my points." she replied back.

Rodrigo started feeling a bit awkward now. He had no idea on how to proceed from this. Here was Helga, the girl who half the time annoyed him, yet whom he liked very much, was in his room, practically confessing to him that she chose him; she liked him and she wanted to be with him. The next logical step would be to just go over there and kiss her, but he hesitated, feeling very awkward at having to suddenly just do that. It just...didn't seem right to do that at the moment. She still looked visibly hurt and severely stressed out, and he was afraid of making it worse for her. He started rubbing the back of his neck as he thought about how to go from here. Finally, he thought of something that he could do.

He got up, walked towards her and then sat down beside her on her left side. Rather nervously, he then gently grabbed her left hand with his left hand, then wrapped his right arm around her shoulder and started comforting her.

Helga didn't hesitate in accepting the gesture and simply leaned her head on his right shoulder, and held on his hand tightly, feeling completely relieved that this whole nightmarish drama had finally ended.

After holding onto her for a while, Helga then remarked,

"Freedom is such a burden."

"What?" Rodrigo asked, surprised by the comment.

"Jean-Paul Sartre; he said that having the freedom to choose is not a right, nor some positive trait. It is a burden, and he was right." she explained.

"You know Jean-Paul Sartre?" he asked her in almost complete disbelief.

"You're not the only one who is trying to become a sage, Latino boy." she said, while smiling at him.

"Would you have it any other way, about what Sartre said about freedom?" he asked her while smiling back at her.

"Hell no!" she declared.

Rodrigo continued to hold on to her for some time. He was still unsure on how to go on from here. Should he kiss her? Should he already start making plans on where to take her for their first date? Should he do anything right now? In the end, Rodrigo decided that for now, he would let Helga dictate on where to take things. Despite what he had gone through, he knew that Helga bore the brunt of this whole melodramatic scenario and wanted her to move things forward at her own pace.

"So um...w-where do we go from here?" he finally asked her nervously.

Helga back away from him a bit and sighed at his naivety, but smiled at him.

_He's so cute when he's clueless_. She thought.

She then leaned in and kissed on his lips as she pushed him towards her. Rodrigo reciprocated as he wrapped his arm around her again. He let her go the first time; he would not do it again a second time.

**Back at the present...**

*Applause* *cheers*

Rodrigo and Helga continued kissing each other for a few more seconds while the crowd still cheered them on, encouraging them on. Finally, they let each other go and then turned around to face the audience. With both smiles on their faces, they each bowed down a few times.

Everyone they knew was present at the performance. All of their friends, including Gerald was there, applauding their spectacular performance. Rodrigo's parents were also present, giving them a standing ovation. Phil, Gertie and all the boarders attended the performance as well, giving Helga and Rodrigo their full fledged support and blessing.

And, to the surprise of many, Helga's entire family were also present, cheering her on, although her parents raised their eyebrows in surprise and suspicion when they saw their youngest daughter kiss this unknown guy.

Helga had earlier mentioned to them about the performance, but she didn't hold on to any hope that they would attend, especially Big Bob. Yet to her surprise, on the night of the performance, Helga was stunned to see that her family was getting ready to attend. In a rare moment of joy, Helga smiled at them and thanked them for their support.

Helga was even more shocked when she learned that she father had actually cancelled an important business meeting with another potential investor. Big Bob had earlier no intention of going. But on hearing that the dancing performance was in fact a type of competition with other schools, he immediately set aside any business meetings for other days in order to attend. When Big Bob explained to the investor that they would have to reschedule due to his daughter's dancing performance, the investor implicitly scoffed at him for his supposed 'inability' to prioritize and threatened that he would lose a potentially good business deal if they did not meet up on that day, all for 'a measly little dancing performance', as the investor put it. Angered by his insult and threat, Big Bob bellowed at him, bluntly telling him that he works for no one other than his family and if he doesn't like it, he can "shove his investment where the sun don't shine!" Caught off guard by Big Bob's unwillingness to bend, the investor reluctantly accepted the reschedule.

Feeling appreciated by his commitment to see her perform, Helga then unexpectedly jumped on Big Bob and hugged him, much to his surprise and awkwardness, but nevertheless smiled at the gesture and hugged her back.

Back on the stage, Helga felt electrified at the amount of attention and admiration that she was receiving from her classmates and teachers. Although never liking to be on the spotlight, in one of those rare moments, she was completely immersed in it, enjoying every second of it. For the first time, she felt that her peers looked at her with awe and respect, instead of the usual scorn, fear and contempt. She then looked at Rodrigo who looked back at her, smiling. She returned the gesture.

_She is so beautiful when she smiles._ Rodrigo thought. _I can't wait for see more of that._

The dance performance was over but not her life. She thought her life was over when Arnold left, but Rodrigo proved her wrong. It can still continue, full of passion and energy. After a long time, she felt happy, as if a huge burden was finally starting to lift from her shoulders. It signified a new beginning, a new start. With Rodrigo by her side, she felt confident that she could tackle any new challenges that life threw at her, only this time she would be ready for them, yearning for the challenge. As she stood at the stage, she felt the world was now her oyster, her area where she can make her mark on it, her legacy. She saw that she now had a future and she looked forward to a new chapter in her life.

**San Lorenzo...One Month later...**

*click*

Arnold had just finished watching the video of Rodrigo and Helga's dancing performance, recorded onto a CD and had just turned off the computer. He had to go to the public library in order to see it and to have some privacy. He wanted to be alone and enjoy the video.

As the computer screen went black, Arnold continued to just sit there, amazed at the performance. He had never seen her dance so eloquently, spilling out every intended emotion with her movements. He fully grasped what Helga was trying to say through her dancing. But what really caught his attention and what was causing him to smile was after the performance, when Helga was bowing down and looked towards the audience. She seemed so relieved, as if she was no longer carrying any serious burden over her shoulders. Nay, she seemed so...happy.

_Bravo Helga_. He thought happily. _I'm so proud of you._

Although he never showed it while he was in Hillwood, and he tried to maintain his usual sense of optimism, he initially felt embittered and hurt in not being able to get back together with Helga. Even after when he returned to San Lorenzo, he couldn't help but feel that he lost her forever. However after watching the video, all of that seemed to have gone away. Indeed, it is as if the video allowed Arnold to alleviate himself from his own ego and fully see things from Helga's perspective. Like her, he also felt a sense of not just relief, but also happiness, but for whom? Happiness for him? For her? Or for both?

Arnold thought this for a moment, trying to analyze just what he was feeling. After some thought, he realized that he was feeling happy for both of them. Yes, that is exactly how he felt; he felt happy that she was happy.

_I never lost her._ He thought. _On the contrary, I feel as if I gained something from all of this. I feel that she is able to finally to move on, to be her in her own way. Yes, I never got back together with her, but I think that's irrelevant, if not, not the point. She needed to find her own way, her own path; and she found it. She really found...what were those Greek words that Rodrigo told me about? Ataraxia was one of them, but what about the other? Eudaimonia! that's it! She found serene tranquility (Ataraxia) and happiness (Eudaimonia) in her life! And...that makes me happy. I'm happy to see her living life as she should...as she deserves to. _

Arnold smiled at finally being able to enjoy her happiness as well. Feeling completely full of bliss, Arnold just continued to sit and stare at the black computer screen, while fully immersed in thought about what he had just seen.

Just then, a man walked in quietly into the library, scanning around the room. He looked like a local, but with extensive experience in traveling between San Lorenzo and the United States. Once he saw Arnold, he quickly walked towards him, and then gently tapped on his shoulder, prompting the blond football head to turn around.

"Arnold, nos tenemos que ir. Tenemos que estar en el aeropuerto en dos horas para alcanzar el avión. Necesitamos entregar unas paquetes a un pueblo en medio de la selva." (Arnold, we have to go. We have to be at the airport in two hours in order to catch the airplane. We have to deliver some packages to a village in the middle of the jungle." said the man quietly.

"Oh disculpa Eduardo. Yo estaba mirando un video que mis amigos me mandaron." (Oh, sorry Eduardo. I was watching a video that my friends sent me.) explained Arnold with an American accent.

Arnold quickly took out the CD from the CPU, put it back into its cover, grabbed his bag and quickly walked with Eduardo to hop on his jeep and head to the airport.

"¿Donde están mis padres?" Arnold asked Eduardo.

"Nos están esperando en el aeropuerto. Nos deberíamos apurar." (They are waiting for us at the airport. We should hurry.) Eduardo replied back.

Putting aside his thoughts and memories of the video, Arnold focused on the task at hand. Here is where he shined; helping those in need and it is here where he found his happiness, his purpose. Helga was right, this was him, it what defined him. As Arnold and Eduardo hopped onto the jeep, they quickly started driving to the airport, and towards their destiny.

**The End**

* * *

**Done! This story is officially Done!**

**I thought it would be befitting for the last person to have the last say to be Arnold, as he was one of the most influential people in this story, even though he had little physical presence in it.**

**I may do a sequel in the near future that covers on how Rodrigo and Helga's relationship develop. I will want to cover things, like meeting the parents, perhaps being matchmakers to some of their friends, whatever challenges they will face, will Helga's feelings for Arnold drive them apart? etc. Perhaps even how they end getting a bit 'too close'? lol Additionally, unlike the usual trend where Arnold usually has to 'control' Helga, what if the opposite occurs and Helga is the one that has to 'control' Rodrigo? He is a bit of a loose cannon. Also, how would Rodrigo's parents' feel about accepting someone like Helga into their house? Would they welcome her or scoff her? But for now, I'll be taking a bit of a break; writing these chapters was exhausting!**

**Why I chose this ending:**

**To start with, I was seriously struggling on how to end this story. I only managed to make this decision at the last moment. When I started writing this story, I had no intention of having Helga be with Rodrigo. It was initially going to be with Arnold. But as I continued writing the chapters, I started seeing a possible connection between the two and perhaps thought if it was possible to not only break with canon, but to indulge on the idea of Helga, not Arnold, actually having feelings for someone else and moving forward with them. The more chapters I wrote, the greater the connection I was able to see between the two characters and the more I became convinced that perhaps in this story, it is possible for Helga to be with someone else.**

**In addition, before writing this story, I attempted to find a HA! story where Helga doesn't get Arnold and actually finds someone else, but I was not able to find such a story, other than a few stories where Arnold started dating Rhonda, or the story begins where Arnold or Helga are in different relationships, only to eventually end up being together. (If anyone knows of such a story, please let me know, as I would love to read it). Plus, I am pretty sure that most of the HA! stories that revolve around Arnold and Helga have an ending where they end up together and I thought that storytelling is now a bit overrated, if not a bit cliché.  
**

**Don't get me wrong, I am pretty adamant in seeing Arnold be with Helga. It's just that w******e all know how it really ends and we all know that Arnold and Helga will end up being together, regardless of the circumstance. Which is why I****** wanted to do something different and try and tackle with the what if issue of the possibility of Helga starting to have feelings for someone else, how would that come about and how badly would she struggle with it? I wanted to directly tackle with the issue on how Helga would be able to finally be able to break free from her own loving obsession over the football head.  
**

**I struggled on how to properly end this story since I did not want to GOT it (Game of Thrones) and give everyone not only a non-canonical ending, but a crappy one, with no good justification as to why it ended, or should end this way. I wanted to give every reason as to why Helga felt she had to choose Rodrigo over Arnold and trust me, it wasn't an easy thing to do! We all know how much she loves Arnold, but I think that's where her weakness lied: she would do anything and go anywhere with him, regardless of the consequence. Having feelings for Rodrigo and the whole tug and pull session allowed her to finally have some rationality and think this through and decide something that benefits her, for her sake. I do hope that despite breaking with canon, it was still enjoyable and still a happy ending.**

**I want to thank everyone who took their time to read my story. I hope you enjoyed it, as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please provide any critiques or comments. Thank you again!**


End file.
